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The Bride’s Ministry

John 13: 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

May the Lord God bless and confirm his word.

God works through people. That was a choice that he made, and he has never changed it. We hear his word when a man preaches it to us. Now we have the fivefold ministry of pastors, evangelists, teachers, prophets and apostles. They preach the message of the hour to the Bride of Christ. They minister the Word of God unto the Church.

We have the Message to show us the divine revelation of the Word of God because the Lord sent a Prophet Messenger to us; a man to preach it to us.

1 Corinthians 1: 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

The Lord could have used angels. He sent an angel to Cornelius, but not to preach to him, but rather to point him to the man that would preach to him. He could have had the sun preach to us. He could have spoken out of a cloud. He could even have used donkeys. But he, by his own sovereign authority and wisdom decided that the very best and perfect way to bring the Word of God to us is to have a man preach it to us.

He always picks men that are looked down on by the world. When he finds a man that has talents and abilities that the world will admire, like Saul of Tarsus and Moses, he first has to beat that out of them before he can use them.

That is why he carefully orchestrated the Prophet’s birth in our age. He ensured that William Branham was poor, of low status, and could not obtain a head full of useless information in school. He put him in a big family so that after getting enough education to do some math, to read and write, he would have to go to work. He picked an ethnic group for him, Irish,q that was small in stature as well for him to be born into. And he even picked a family line with baldness. None of those things were by accident.

That is also why John the Baptist was orphaned at such a young age. The Lord could not let them get polluted by the world. It takes a man that the world considers a fool to preach the wisdom of God.

When we receive the men that God sent to preach the Word, then we receive the Word, which is Jesus Christ. When we reject the men that God sent to us, then we are rejecting Jesus Christ. Never forget that.

The Bride receives the Prophet, and through the message of that Prophet receives the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, no person who refuses the Message, or rejects the Prophet will ever receive Christ, for Christ is the Message!

The only way to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, the New Birth, Eternal Life in any age, is through the Message and the Messenger for that Age! Period!

Nobody who rejected Noah or his Message got on the Ark.

How do we hear it? There must first be preachers.

Luke 10: 2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

The harvest is ripe today but labourers are few. But we have churches on every corner. We have 1200 denominations out there. The Catholic Church alone claims over a billion people. How can the labourers be few? They simply are not preaching the gospel; they are not labouring for Christ.

Amos 8: 11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

Without the Message of the Hour, we are not labouring for the Lord. This is the day where there is a famine, not for food and water, but for hearing the Word of God. Not a famine for dogmas, we got plenty of those. Not a famine for traditions and creeds, we have way too many of those. The famine is for hearing the Word of God.

Not just preaching it, but a famine for hearing it. So even where it is preached, it is not being heard. Are you getting this? Even in the Message Churches that have a Holy Spirit filled Ministry bringing the Spiritual Food in Due Season through the leading of the Holy Spirit, that WORD IS NOT BEING HEARD!

How do you know that you are hearing the Word, hearing the Message?

You are applying it to your life!

To hear the Word is to LIVE the Word!

It is not enough to play a tape, we must LISTEN to it!

We are talking about the Bride’s Ministry tonight.

The Fivefold is NOT the Bride’s Ministry. They are feeding the Bride’s Ministry.

The Message is NOT the Bride’s Ministry, it is feeding and guiding the Bride’s Ministry.

The Bride’s Ministry does not take place in the walls of the Church.

Who is the Bride? YOU ARE!

Tonight we are not here to discuss the preachers, we are hear to discuss the Work of the Bride.

The Word comes forth from the Lord, through the Prophet, through the ministry, to the Bride. But it does not stop there, or at least it should not. Many times, however, it does. Many times the sermon that comes from this pulpit does not make it past the back door. Your Pastor stands here for an hour and pours out his heart to you. He probably spent another ten, or twenty hours, or more, preparing for it first. He has studied. He has prayed. He has yielded to the Lord under an anointing.

It is not enough for the Word to be preached, it must also be heard. It must be received and believed. If we don’t receive it and believe it, then we will not carry it with us out the door, we will not live it, and we certainly won’t spread it to others.

How many times at work or school, do people testify of the movies or hockey games they watched over the weekend, of the books they read, of the songs they listened too, the conversations they had, the jokes they heard? They are receiving, believing and testifying.

They are living the devil’s message to you.

Now how about we start living God’s Message to them?

Who here is going to testify tomorrow about the sermons they heard this weekend? Will you remember what was spoken? Will you apply those things directly to your life? Will you testify of it to others? Will you change your Facebook status to reflect what you heard? To do that we first must HEAR the Word. We must believe what we heard. We must receive what we heard. You know you can believe something and still reject it.

That is called iniquity!

Whether we accept it, or whether we reject it, we will all be held accountable for every single word of it.

Ezekiel 33: 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Now let us go a bit deeper. Let us bring this home to where we live. Who is the watchman?

YOU ARE! I AM! If we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

You are the Watchman in your community. You are the watchman in your home. You are the watchman at your work. You are the watchman in your apartment building. You are the watchman at the coffee shop you hang out in. You are the watchman on your Facebook Page! You are the watchman in Instagram.

The Lord in our day opened up a digital door to the world. We can use that door for good, or for bad. Use it to minister unto the world.

What are you warning the people of? Are you taking this Message that the Lord is bringing here every Sunday and every Wednesday, and are you blowing the trumpet? Every day do you read the Bible? Is there something in what you read that touched your heart? Are you bringing that to a dying world? When you play a tape, are you not touched by it? Take that to the dying world.

The people that you associate with all day, every day, will all come to a judgement seat of Christ one day. Will they be able to point an accusing finger at you? Are you free from their blood? Have you delivered your soul from their sin and iniquity? Whose blood is still on your hands tonight? Let’s get serious here!

55-0403 – Fellowship By Redemption – William Branham
75 You know, now, this is kind of a little bit hard. But you are the only Bible that many people will ever read, you Christians. Your life is the only Bible that men, a lot of men and women, will ever read, just the way you act and do. So, Christians are supposed to be a living example of what Christ is. And if Christ is in the human heart, then He’ll certainly live His Own Life, for Christ is in you. And the Spirit of Christ be in you, then you become a new creature.

76 Now, I love to think that Christians, everywhere, if every person that called on the Lord Jesus would live just exactly the Christian Life, why, this would be a converted world in the next twenty-four hours. It certainly would be.

77 The Bible said, that, “You are the salt of the earth.” And the salt can only save when it comes in contact with the spoiling earth. The earth is spoiling, rottening. You know that. And the salt must come in contact with the earth, or, if it don’t, it’ll be gone.

We are the Bible, and for the most part, the ONLY Bible to the world. You are the Bible to your boss. You are the Bible to your mother. You are the Bible to the bus driver. You are the Bible to your school teacher.

We, therefore, must be the Word manifested in flesh. As He is, so is she in this world. Whatever the Lord Jesus Christ is, we the Bride must also be, and visibly be, to the entire world. We are flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone, life of his life, spirit of his spirit.

All the attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ must be seen in us by the world, or we are failing.

That is our job here, to be Christ to the world. We are his ambassadors, the representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven.

John 15: 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

We can do nothing without him. We will have no spiritual fruit without the Holy Spirit. We will have emotions. We will have fundamentalist theology and legalism will abound. But without Jesus Christ, that is all we will be, a sounding brass.

We are not Christians without the Holy Spirit. Unless we surrender completely to the Perfect Will of the Lord God, we will NOT bear fruit. We will be dead, dead, dead.

Men will gather us. Gather us? We will be denominated! We will be organized. And we will be burned with the world. Oh we will claim the Message. We might have a picture of the Prophet in our house. But we will only associate with our cliché. Oh, you don’t believe the Return Ministry, I won’t come to your church. You aren’t in the Seven Thunders, we won’t invite you. You don’t worship Joseph Branham, you are not in the Message.

That is not the Bride. Show me once where the Prophet behaved like that.

Do you have fruit? What is your Facebook fruit? What is your lunchtime fruit at work? What is your fruit in the mall, on the street, at the gym, at Starbucks? What is your fruit when there is no Christian around to witness it? What is your fruit on your computer or I-Phone? What is your fruit, your attitude towards the Word of God, the Message right here and now inside your heart where you think nobody can hear it?

God is listening! And recording every word, action, thought and motive.

The fruit that you are bearing right now tells you what vine you have your branch grafted to. Your attitude towards the Revealed Word of God right now is the proof of the life that is in you. The fruit that we bear is based on the life of our vine. If you got pumpkins, you are not in a grape vine. If we are grafted into Christ, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit of God.

If our fruit is worldly, hypocritical, then let that be a stern warning!

WAKE UP BRIDE!

It is the midnight hour. Trim your lamps. Fill your vessels.

Matthew 5: 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

YOU are the light of the world. Is your candle lit? Are you a bright and shining testimony everywhere you go? Your job, as the Bride of Christ, is to be a light to the whole world. That is your main job in life, above every other job and task. You are the ONLY light to the world today. The Lutheran light is gone out. The Methodist light is gone out. The Pentecostal light has gone completely dark.

You and I are the one source of the grace of the Lord God unto them. When you come to them, Christ comes to them. When you speak to them, Jesus is speaking to them. That was our first scripture tonight. When we receive he whom the Lord has send, we receive the Lord.

When they receive you, they receive him.

When they reject you, they reject him.

YOU HAVE BEEN SENT!

John 15: 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

You are their day of visitation, and you have been ordained of the Lord to do it. “Go ye into all the world, (not just the Message Churches) and preach the gospel , the Message of the Hour, unto every creature”. Go to All the World. Not in here, in the building. You must go outside of the building. Go to the highways and byways. Go to the streets and back alleys. You must bring this Message to EVERYONE. You and I do not get to decide who hears it. That has already been decided by the Lord God and his decision was EVERY CREATURE.

We are not permitted to miss even one soul!

The Church cannot be redeemed, and the world cannot be judged, until it first hears the Revealed Word of God for this hour. That means no Rapture. Why is the rapture tarrying? It is OUR fault.

Lord God have mercy on us unprofitable servants!

You are the grace of God to a dying world. You are a beacon of salvation in the blackness of demonic hell that has covered this world. You are the only hope for literally billions of people. It is up to You! We all have a huge responsibility, that we are currently NOT living up to. Each one of us is falling short.

We put a challenge to the Youth, to bring souls to church with them, to go out and testify. In order to do that, we must shine a light to those souls. Are you doing it? Are you out testifying? Or have you buried your talent in the ground?

To testify is not to preach doctrine. To testify is to tell the people who the Lord Jesus Christ his and how he has confirmed his word in your life in supernatural signs, wonders and miracles. Show them what Jesus has done for you personally.

To testify we first need something to testify of. We need an experience with the Living God, else all we have it tradition. It don’t help to simply have stories of the Prophet, we need our own testimony. To witness, we must have seen and heard.

The fivefold ministers unto you from the pulpit. We are your servants. I am your waiter today serving you the bread and meat of the Lord. You are the ministers to the rest of the world. That is the Bride’s Ministry, to go into the world and minister to the rest of humanity.

Mark 10: 42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Did you believe that? Did you receive that? Will you now live that and manifest it in your life? You must be the servant of ALL. You are called to minister unto all. As He is, so is she in this world; so are YOU in this world Bride. He came to minister and give himself as a ransom for many. You must go and minister unto the whole world and give yourself as a ransom for all. Ransom?

Let me lay this out plain. You will be hated. The more you love, the more you will be hated. The more you take a stand on the Word of God, and the Message of the Hour, the more you will be hated. The harder you try to help people, to open their eyes, to bring them salvation, the more they will hate you. If the world is not against you right now, then brother, sister, check your life.

John 15: 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

And again:

1 John 3: 13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

And:

2 Timothy 3: 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Think long and hard on this brothers and sisters. This is not a picnic, this is a war. The devil is sharpening up his darts right now, preparing for those of you who will Believe this Word, Receive this Word, and Live this Word, putting it into action.

If we are not suffering persecution, if we are not hated for it, then we are not “living godly in Christ Jesus”. That is not my words. I am not accusing you. That is the Word of God. Search yourself. You know your life. The devil knows it too.

He knows who he’s got and is after those he doesn’t have.

This is what the devil is planning for you right now.

Matthew 10: 16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

We are at war. As the Bride of Christ, we are the foot soldiers in the trenches. We must put on the whole armour of God. The devil will use every tool at his hand to destroy you.

You might get fired from your job. You might get disowned by your family. You could get thrown in jail. You will be insulted. You will be hated. You will be made fun of and ridiculed. You might get beat up. Your husband or wife could leave you. Your property might be vandalized. You could even receive death threats. You could even be killed. This is not a game. This is life and death.

Count up the cost! Be prepared! Fight!

But the reward is so great that Moses gave up the riches of Egypt for it.

Jesus Christ left the Glory of the Father and took upon flesh and bled and died, and even went to hell for it.

We must sell out completely to the Message of the Hour. We must be completely convinced of it or we will never be concerned to act upon it. Oh but once we are truly convinced, look out.

62-0118 – Convinced Then Concerned – William Branham
113 And I believe that every man, every woman, every boy or girl, that ever stays long enough, that you’re convinced that It is right, and It is the Holy Ghost, you are burdened so hard in your heart, that you can’t stand still and let these people die like this in shame and sin. It’ll grind the very heart out of you, to get out here on these streets. It does, any Christian, to see the people wholly given over to sin: drinking, gambling, cursing, swearing, smoking. Every car you pull up behind, is a woman with a cigarette in her fingers, with one of these waterhead haircuts, that they’re—they’re using now, and all this common nonsense. And thousands of those profess to be Christians.

114 Don’t you realize, friend, being that I’m on that, that like the first lady of the land, did you know Jezebel was the first lady of that land too? See? Certainly. But Elijah called her out. She hated him, but he told her where she belonged. Actually, he was her pastor. She didn’t want to admit it, but he was. That’s right. He told her.
Are you convinced of this Message? You believe that William Branham was a Prophet Messenger? Great! But that is not enough. You believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Wonderful! But again that is not enough.

If we don’t believe he was the Prophet, too bad. God made him the Prophet to us just as He made Elijah the pastor to Jezebel. The world may not like the idea of you being the testimony of Christ to them, the Ambassadors of Heaven, but guess what, that is not their choice. It was God’s choice. He chose you for it. He ordained you to it.

We must be absolutely and positively convinced that every word of the Message and the Bible are true, and that every word applies to us. Then we will get concerned to act. Are you convinced? Are you concerned? Are you acting?

Many times we are too afraid to speak. We are too afraid to ask the blessing on our food in an audible voice in public. Somebody in that room desperately needs a testimony, and asking the blessing is a perfect testimony to them. It is also a condemnation on sin and darkness. When we fail to act and are silent, it is because we are ashamed of him. We are cowards! How can we call ourselves Christians when we are afraid and ashamed to live an example of Jesus Christ to the world. How can we call ourselves Christians when we are ashamed of the very name of the Lord Jesus Christ?

We care more about what the Serpent’s seed thinks of us than what the Lord Jesus Christ does. We are more concerned with the approval of satan that the approval of our Bride Groom.

Shameful!

You put up a picture of your dog or cat on your desk at work. You show it to everyone who comes by. How about a picture of Jesus? How about the pillar of fire picture? You are proud of your dog, and ashamed of your Lord?

Oh, but you say “I might get fired”.

Then get Fired! You’re too lukewarm anyways.

Get fired and get fired up!

WE SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF OURSELVES!

Is your job more important than the Lord? Who gave you that job in the first place? Who blesses that company with enough business so that they can afford to keep you employed? And you are ashamed of him?

Saints of God shake yourselves!

It is time to come to the altar for an old fashioned, eye soaked, chest beating repentance!

YOUR JOB IS TO BE A LIGHT TO EVERYONE AT WORK!

That is your duty, my duty. We are the Bible to the world. We are the ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are written epistles read of all men. We are God manifested in human flesh. We are his Bride! We all have a ministry!

Mark 16: 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

That is YOUR commission from Jesus Christ. Go to your family. Go to your coworkers. Go to your boss. Go to your neighbor. Go to the guy on Facebook. Go to the guy who sells you a coffee every morning. Go to your barber. Go to the Walmart greeter.

Be an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ. Minister unto the dying World.

Take that which ye have seen and heard, and go to the entire world and preach it to every creature. Be the Bible to them. Be proud of this gospel! Be proud of this message! Be proud of your Groom!

Bear fruit, for you have been ordained to it.

Fulfill the Bride’s Ministry.

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.

Does your current life reflect this?

Will the historians of today be able to say this about us in the future? If the Lord were to tarry another two hundred years, what would history say of us? What will be written on our grave stones? Will they say of us:

“And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.”

Seek the Lord, While He may be Found

Sermon notes from the message preached on August 6th, 2017 at Restored Word Fellowship in Edmonton Alberta.

Isaiah 55: 6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

The Lord gave me a spank with this message. Now it’s your turn. It is amazing how short we fall of the mark, and how the Word reveals our shortcomings. It is also amazing how quickly the Lord will receive us when we repent and turn to him. I pray that everyone gets an double blessing from His Word today.

The Lord is giving us a direction here as to what we should be doing. There is also a stern warning here for it says to do it “while he may be found”. There will be a time when he will not be found. He is here now. He is near now.

I can’t make any promises about tomorrow.

Seek Ye the Lord! Today!

While he may be found! Today!

Hebrews 12: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

There was a time for Esau. The blessing was his. It was his to lose. Nobody stole it from him; he sold it willingly. There was a time of grace for him. But he sinned away that day of grace. Then, once it was over, he opened his eyes to discover that it was too late. He was still upon this earth, but the Lord was not to be found of him. There was no more grace available, even though he sought carefully with tears.

He was crying. He accepted the Altar Call. He came to the prophet Isaac, begging. But he had rejected the message of the hour for too long. He did not reject it as to not believe it, he rejected it as to not live it.

Esau failed to apply the token to his life. We are so bad in Christianity; we love to apply the token to the front yard of our lives. We have the perfect picket fence, every blade of grass cut to the same height, paint the front wall. But what about inside. Have you applied the Token, the Holy Spirit, to your kitchen, to what you eat spiritually every day. How about your bedroom, your living room. How about your backyard where nobody can see over the fence. Is it Holy?

Make it HOLY! Apply the Token to every part of your being!

Esau believed! His daddy was the prophet, the promised son! He had the right to the token. He rejected it with his life. He refused to apply it. Then when he finally came to his senses, it was too late. The door to salvation was closed. FOREVER!

It will be too late for every one of us one day if we do not Seek the Lord NOW.

Genesis 7:5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

The Ark was complete. The wood was gathered and cut. The boards were nailed together. The Ark was pitched inside and out. Food was gathered. Noah packed his suitcase and got on board. The animals were inside. Yet there was not a drop of rain for seven days. The people laughed and made fun as they do today. They had a big party. The whole world saw the Ark on their TV’s and computer screens. YES!
Jesus said the end times, our times, would be exactly like Noah’s times. World full of people. World full of science. World full of religion. World full of sin!

The Prophet of our day went away 50+ years ago now. Noah preached for 120 years before the flood. Brother Branham started preaching this message in 1933, over 85 years ago.

The Laodicea Church Age began in 1906, One Hundred and Eleven years ago. As it was in the days of Noah…

We are almost at 120 yeas now, and the Lord promised to cut it short!

When will the door of the Ark of Jesus Christ be closed? How many days will we preach to the lost? The door may close before this meeting is done!

Will you seek the Lord while he may be found, or are you planning on waiting until the door closed?

Matthew 25: 1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

They were not worldly people. They were not denominational beast worshipers. They were virgins! They were together with the Bride. The were “Christians”, they “went forth to meet the groom”. They had lamps lit! But no oil.

And you Full Gospel Business Men do the same. You don’t—don’t have to wait and be a minister; just testify what He has already done to you. That’s what you come together here for, is testify what He has done for you. That’ll shine Light to others to be lit off of that. That’s how the lamps in the tabernacle was lit, one from the other; not a strange light, new lighting; but the same light. Means, it’s the same God all the way through, that shines the Light.
64-0620B – Who Is Jesus?

That is how the lamps are lit. The wise virgins have oil, and the fire from their lamps is what keeps the lamps of the foolish virgins lit. The foolish virgins have no oil of their own. Once they are separated, once the shuck pulls away from the seed during the squeeze, their lamps will go out.

Now, the light of the court was the firmament. The light at the first veil was a bunch of lamps. They got smoky and went out sometime. And that’s the way with a man from one revival to another one, if he’s just living in the church, and having a little spurt up once in a while. And he gets all fired up when the revival, but a few weeks if they don’t start another one somewhere, he goes down, smokes out. See? “Oh, my church ain’t having this one, and my church…”

Brother, go on to the inner veil; God is the Light in there. It’s always light. The Shekinah Glory lit up that place and never did go out, year after year. And the manna never did get old; it was the same all the time, didn’t get no wiggle-worms in that. But that you had to get every day got wiggle-worms in it outside. Them who has to stay and all this… Just get in with Christ one time, and close the curtains down, and live till He comes after you. Amen.
55-1007 – The Power Of Decision

We just had a revival over at Brother Hildebrandt’s with the Spencers. Everyone was shining bright. Singing, shouting, praising, worshiping, emotions, quotes, scriptures, huge Altar Call.

It’s been a week. How’s your lamp doing?

How is your Lamp Burning? Are you burning with oil, or stealing a spark?

Seek Ye the Lord! How you ask? Do not seek religion. Do not seek a man, any man. Do not seek dogmas, creeds or traditions. Do not seek doctrines.

Genesis 32: 24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Jacob wrestled there alone with God, UNTIL. He wrestled until he prevailed! We give up too soon. We start and stop our church services based on a clock. If God don’t show by the time we are ready to go, we pack up and go anyhow. We set aside a half hour for prayer, but at the half hour point we stop, regardless of the results. Maybe the Lord planned to answer at minute 31, and when he got there, you were gone.

Where would Jacob be if he ended his prayer meeting at 9:30? He prayed UNTIL! He got desperate. It was life or death to him, literally. He knew if he did not get something direct from the Lord, if he did not meet the Lord then and there, he was a dead man. So, he fought, and wrestled with the Lord God until he prevailed.

And when he prevailed, he was blessed.

When he prevailed, he got a new name.

When he prevailed, his “life was preserved”.

He passed from death unto life!

Seek Ye the Lord while he may be found!

Revelation 22: 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

That day is fast approaching. That is the day the foolish virgins begin to seek for the Oil. That could happen tonight. The door to the Ark is closing. When that day comes, the condition you are in, you are in FOREVER.

If you have not repented and been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, you will take those sins, as a heathen, to the white throne judgement and be called to answer for every word in the Law, with NO blood to cover you.

If you have not pressed forward to receive the Holy Spirit, then you will simply be left behind at the rapture and have to face the tribulation, a time when there will be absolutely no presence of the Lord God upon this gentile world. A time when Satan will rule with all authority. A time of madness, a time of disease, a time of destruction, a time of judgement.

That day will come and go and you won’t even know it happened. Enoch was raptured. Nobody noticed. Noah was in the Ark seven days, no rain fell. Will you know that the door is closed? Will you know when it is too late?

Once the door is closed, the devil will know that the Message of the Hour can no longer save people. At that point he will not need to blind anyone to it anymore. Nobody is blinded to Luther’s message; the Lutheran Church is Huge. Nobody is blinded to Wesley’s message; the Methodist church is huge.

Nobody is blinded to the Pentecostal message today. AMEN? Look how big the Pentecostal Assemblies are. Not long ago, that was the move of God. The Lord restored the gifts at the Azusa Street Mission. Signs and wonders and miracles flowed from that place. God moved in a supernatural way in the early Pentecostal Movement, but now they have turned completely from him.

Listen Close: When the door closes to the gentile world, there will be a big move of people “accepting the message”, getting baptized properly, growing out their hair, wearing dresses, quitting smoking etc. For a time before the Rapture, the Bride will be preaching to them. Then after the Rapture, it will be the foolish virgins.

They will all be eternally lost, and they will think it is the Bride’s Revival.

The Bride of Christ will preach to the lost before she goes home. They will preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of salvation to a a cold, dead, demonic world that cannot be saved. They will preach with power and demonstration in the spirit of the Lord to the eternally lost.

And when they will accept it, and it will be too late!

Seek Ye the Lord while He may be Found!

Ezekiel 9:4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

That is happening today, here, in this building. The angel of the Lord is marking us. He is marking the Bride! He is going through the midst of the church, and he is marking people with the Holy Spirit, with the seal of God who cry out for the abominations in the city, in the church, in the message.

Are you crying out, or are you part of it? Are you speaking against sin, or supporting it? What is in your heart? What is in your mind? How are you reacting to the Revealed Word of God? Are we living for it like Jacob, or living against it like Esau did. One day it will be too late to repent! Do we have oil of our own, or do we simply catch a spark from those who do?

Do we shout and praise the Lord God, or do we need a ‘revival’ going on with everyone else shouting and praising first?

Do you start or just follow? Do you have oil to fuel your lamp, or do you need to borrow a spark every time?

Am I scaring you? I pray to God that I am. We need a wake up call!

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Fear and trembling. Work out your salvation. Fight like Jacob fought. Fight until. Don’t let a clock rule your worship, for that very clock will call the end to salvation for the gentiles. That clock will ring the hour when the door is shut. Don’t look at the Clock, look to Jesus! He is salvation. He is redemption. He is healing. He is resurrection. He is the one true God and eternal life.

Work out your salvation! TODAY! Seek ye the Lord while He may be found!

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

Run the race. Notice, many are running. We have hundreds of millions of people today that go to church, that call themselves “Christians”. We have hundreds of thousands that call themselves “message believers”. We are all in the race, but not all will win. Many are not striving to win. They are satisfied with a participation badge.

Run for the Title. The Title of Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Luke 4: 25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

There are many in message churches today. There are many who call themselves Christians today. There are many with the picture of the pillar of fire in their houses today. There are many with a tape playing in their house day and night today. There are many in this service today. There are some missing too.

Has the Lord come to you? Have you been seeking him? Have you been wrestling with him until?

Do we worship God or the clock?

Hebrews 3: 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

TODAY! If you will hear his voice. Not my voice. Hear his voice, the voice behind the voice! If you will hear his voice today. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, TODAY. Seek ye him while he is near, TODAY!

We are not going to be those who fall in the wilderness. We are called to be the Bride! Hold fast your faith. Hold fast your testimony. Seek the Lord. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Seek ye the Lord!

2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

The Lord is not slack, nor is he tarrying. He picked the day of the rapture before the foundation of the world. Do not count his longsuffering as slackness. Do not think it will go on forever. A day is FAST approaching where that door will close and it will be too late. We have not been called to burn. We have been called out of the world. The Bride will walk out on the ashes of the unjust. But we have to seek the Lord and work out our salvation.

We must become perfect! We must grow to the image of the perfect man in Christ Jesus!

And that takes work. That takes prayer. That takes consecration.

That takes a total separation from sin!

Ezekiel 12:21 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.25 For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying.27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.

It will not be prolonged! The Day of the Lord is at Hand! The Great and Terrible day of the Lord is at Hand. The Prophet has been gone for a half century. This age has almost gone as long as Noah’s. The world is a darkness and a gross darkness the people. The great falling away has already happened.

Saint of God hear what the Lord says to you!

The shall be no more vain visions or flattering divinations for the Bride!

The Lord has spoken his Word and now he will perform it!

None of God’s words will be prolonged any more!

The Word which I have spoken SHALL BE DONE!

This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears!

Heavenly Father, be it unto us according to they word!

The Lord shall come as a thief in the night. He will not be seen. He will come. He will go. The world, the churches, will not know it has happened. One shall be left, one taken. They are together! Do you see it? They are together. One has oil, the other steals his spark. Then he will do as Esau and cry out, but it will be too late.

Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

“Father Abraham”! He was not a heathen. He was a church member. He was a believer. He was an Esau. He had his time of grace and he sinned it away. He though, “Oh the Lord is tarrying, I can wait until tomorrow to get my soul right”.

He woke up in hell! Seek Ye the Lord while He may be Found!

Matthew 7: 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Seek. And you SHALL find. Knock. And it SHALL be opened. Ask. And it SHALL be given.

We have no excuse. If we don’t have, it is because we have not asked. (James 4:2) If the Word is not opened, then we have not knocked. If we are lost, then we are not seeking.

Seek the Lord, and all his righteousness. Don’t touch the other stuff. Have nothing to do with it. Run from it!

Haggai 2:13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.

The moment we touch those things, we become unclean. The moment we bring those things into the church, the moment we include a tradition, a dogma, a creed, the whole church become unclean. God cannot work with us in that condition. That is the problem in the churches. That is the problem in the message today. A little leaven will leaven the whole lump.

Where are the signs and wonders? Where is the supernatural moving of the Lord God?

Cast out the Babylonian garments and wedges of silver from among you.

Bride, Get Back in Line!

Oh it’s just a little this and a little that. It don’t mean no harm.

James 2: 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Touch NOT. Taste NOT. Handle NOT. For all will perish with using.

Come out of her my People and touch not the unclean thing!

Bride of Christ, hear ye the word of the Lord! Make it all good, or make it all bad. Be ice cold, or be on fire. But if we remain lukewarm the Lord will spew us out of his mouth!

Seek Him while he may be found!

Get of Fire for God!

2 Kings 13:15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord‘s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

It is all about attitude! This king was not a heathen, he was a friend to the Prophet. He was at his death bed. The Lord spoke to him personally through the Prophet and had the Prophet make him a personal promise. But he was LUKEWARM!

He was lazy. He didn’t want to put any effort into it. He started to smack the ground, then looked at the clock and it was 12:00 pm, time to end service. He didn’t so as Jacob did. He should have banged those arrows until there were no arrows left. He should have wrestled with God until he got the blessing, until he received a new name, until his life was preserved.

WRESTLE WITH GOD!

Seek Him, while he may be found!

Brothers! Sisters! The Lord has put such a weight on my heart for you today! I am desperate! How can I make this real to you? How can I set you on fire?

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Why do we waiver? Why don’t we wait until? Do you want me to tell you? Why do we not wait until?

Because we do not believe that He will answer.

If you believe that he will answer, and you don’t wait for him, for that answer, then what kind of a soul are we? We don’t wait because we don’t believe. Double minded! It should not be that way.

It is shameful!

And we have made it a tradition. We hold God to our schedule, to our time. We make him our servant. We tell him to come. We tell him to go. We tell him what to do and when. And we have made a tradition of it. And we don’t understand what is wrong with it.

There is a way that seems right unto man, the end thereof is death. This is not God’s way. This is not the Bride’s way. We must get back to the Word, back to the Message. Not just in doctrine, but in LIFE. We must do it before it is too late.

Remember the vision of the Bride, she took her eye off the Message and fell out of line.

BRIDE, GET BACK IN LINE!

Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

The Bride will be in line. You and I will be in line! She will bring the more perfect sacrifice. She is operating by revelation. She will seek the Lord while he may be found.

Cain did not seek the Lord. In fact, he rejected him and the Lord set out to find him. The Lord God spoke to Cain, lip to ear, and Cain rejected God’s word.

The Lord God is speaking to you right now, lip to ear. Do you hear him, or just me? Listen to the Voice behind my voice. Listen to the Word of the Lord.

Seek the Lord while he may be found.

Time is running out! The door of the Ark is closing! Seek the Lord, Today!

Wait upon him. Wrestle with him. Fight until you overcome!

Revelation 3:21 To him that OVERCOMETH will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Does that scripture have a whole new meaning to you now? “To Him the Overcometh”. This is not a participation trophy. This is for the victor, for the overcomer, for the one who wrestles until. This is the preservation of life.

2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

What is your testimony? If you knew you were about to die tonight, if you knew that rapture was happening in five minutes from now, what would be your testimony of your life?

Could you say “I have fought the good fight”?

Or did you only bang the ground three times?

Is there a Crown waiting for you, or a participation trophy?

Are you seeking him while he may be found? Are you calling upon him while he is near?

LAW, GOD’S LAW

Our Schoolmaster unto Salvation

Law and Grace Woven in the Scriptures

The Lord God Jehovah gave us a law. We find that law written throughout the pages of the Old Testament. That law condemned us all to die because none of us were able to follow it. And we should also remember that the Bible says in James that if we break one word of the law we are guilty of the whole law. The penalty for breaking the law is death. God, however, did not want us all to die, he wanted us to live. To accomplish his goal, the Lord God came veiled in the flesh in the man of Jesus Christ and fulfilled the entire law and took all of our sins upon himself and gave his life in place of ours.

It was you and I that were condemned to die on that cross, for you and I committed the sins that put Jesus there. But Jesus Christ, the great Kinsmen Redeemer, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the bright morning star, the rose of Sharron, the lily of the valley, the prince of peace, took your sins and my sins and all of our iniquities and bled and died there for you and I so that we might live with him forever.

This is a very well known doctrine to church going folks. If the Lord will, I would like to look a little deeper into it, to see exactly what the law was, why it was given and exactly what the Bible is telling us when it says that Jesus “fulfilled” the law. We also like to say that we are no longer under the law. We will by the grace of God look a little deeper into that statement and root out in the scriptures exactly what this means. Some will be very surprised indeed by what we will find.

Galatians 3: 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

So the Bible says that the law is there to deal with transgressions, and the law exists because of those transgressions. This is an interesting and important point. Most would naturally think that the transgressions must come as a result of the law, but we find it written here in the opposite order. The law was added because of transgressions. First the transgressions existed, then the law was added because of them. The law is God’s answer to transgressions.

And the Word says that the law will continue UNTIL the seed should come to whom the promise was made. Who was that promised seed of Abraham, the promised seed of the woman back in the Garden of Eden? God said unto the serpent in Genesis chapter three that “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and the woman’s seed, and you shall bruise his heal, but he shall bruise your head”. The seed of the woman, the promised seed, was none other than Jesus Christ.

Now notice that the law actually existed before Moses. Moses did not write the law, he merely penned it as God spoke it to him. And in fact the famous Ten Commandments were even penned by the Lord God himself as he wrote them in stone with his own finger as the prophet Moses stood by and watched. The law actually started way back in Eden. I used to think that it started with Moses myself but the word explicitly says otherwise.

The first law was “eat not of the fruit for the day you eat thereof you will die”. That was the law in Eden. That was the only law they had at that time. Don’t eat and if you eat you die. It was short, it was simple and it was the law.

Notice now the two components of a law. Every law must have these two components or it is not a law. The first essential component is the thing that you are not supposed to do, and the second is the consequences for doing it. “Do not eat”: was the thing you aren’t supposed to do. And, “IF you eat you die”: was the unconditional Consequences. And every law has these two components.

Without both components it is not a law. Without a commandment it has no direction, and every law must be enforceable. Therefore if there is no consequence for breaking the law then the law is no longer enforceable and of no effect. Adam and Eve did not know much of the law back then but what they did know they were more than able to transgress.

The Bible said the Law was “added” because of transgressions. It was “added”, not just given in one shot but added, which in the Greek is prostithemi which is a verb meaning to increase or to proceed further in giving. So the law was given, but not at once, not in one place or at one specific time but rather it was given and increased over the passage of time, and proceeded further in its giving because of transgressions. The law unfolded with time. The law was a progressive revelation.

So is that it, or is there a deeper reason? Nothing happens without reason and there is no coincidence in life. Is there something more here, another layer? Why would God give the law out in a piecemeal fashion, a little here and a little there, and not in one big lump right at the beginning?

What is the underlying purpose of the law? We know it was given because of transgressions, but how was the law supposed to deal with those transgressions? What was the law doing with those transgressions and with the people it was given to? What is the relationship between us, the law, and the transgressions, and God the law giver and judge? The Bible gives us those answers.

Galatians 3:24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The law was our Schoolmaster. It is our teacher. The Bible says that it was brought in and added because of transgressions AND its purpose was to bring us unto Jesus Christ by teaching us as a schoolmaster. Then after the law brings us to Christ we might be justified by faith. That is a mouthful.

It doesn’t say that we can be justified by the law. The law does not and cannot justify anyone for every word of the law that we transgress condemns us to death. Rather, the law brings us to a place where we can be justified. And it brings us there by teaching us something. So if the law brings us to a place where we can be justified by faith through teaching us, then we need to know exactly what the law is supposed to be teaching us?

Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

This ties in nicely with our central theme and opens the door a little more for us. It goes back a couple of scriptures and weaves itself in. So putting it together so far we see that the law was added because of transgressions and without the law there are transgressions, but we do not know of them and are left guiltless of the law. Why is there no guilt of transgressions without the law? The law alone determines what is, and what is not a transgression. So if there is no law, there is no crime. The act still exists, and the act can be against the perfect will of God, but there can be no crime assigned.

Look at the internet today. It is very new so there are almost no laws in place to govern what goes on with it. And when people are using it wrongly or for some evil purpose, nobody can hold them accountable in this world for their actions because there is no law on the books to charge them with. There is no commandment, and there are no consequences. So until someone writes a law, the police and the courts have no justification in arresting the people. They have nothing to charge them with. There might be horrible acts going on but there is no crime.

But once the law is in place you cannot do those same things anymore. You could do them before but the law is written but once the law is written, then the act becomes a crime. This is a very important and interesting point to note. The law is not retroactive. God created time for a purpose and uses time and has given us definite timelines within the plan of salvation.

So if you commit an offense yesterday and they bring in a law against it today you are free. But if you commit that same thing tomorrow, you go to jail, even if you have been doing it for years before without fault.

Here is an earthly example. The road from your house to work is not very busy and the speed limit is 50 mph. You drive it every day at 50 mph for 15 years. Then as the city develops the area and the road gets busier and someone decides that 50 mph is too fast and one Tuesday morning the speed limit is reduced to 30 mph. It does not matter that you have been driving at 50 for all those years. If you drive at 31 mph today you will get a ticket for speeding. You will not be ticketed for driving 50 mph on Monday, but Tuesday driving that very same road, in that very same car, at that very same speed will earn you a fine. On Monday it is an act with impunity, but on Tuesday that very same act becomes a crime with a punishment.

Here is a spiritual example from the scriptures. Abraham married his sister Sarah. She was his half sister and he took her for his wife. God blessed the union such that he gave them a miracle baby and made that baby the promised seed through whom God would bless the entire planet and every living soul on it. Keeping that fact in mind let us look at what the law of Moses clearly says about the act of a man marrying his sister.

Leviticus 18:9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of they father OR the daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

It is needful to note the word “or” in this passage. The word or is in there for a reason. Some will say “but Sarah was his Half sister”. The law doesn’t say the daughter of thy father AND mother, it says the daughter of thy father OR mother. So according to the law of Moses, Abraham committed sin punishable by death. Abraham clearly violated the laws of Moses. How could God bless a union that was in clear violation of his law that he gave us through his prophet?

Abraham married his sister, an act which is condemned by God’s law. That we have established. Did Abraham sin? Absolutely not! Why? The law clearly shows that what Abraham did with Sarah in marrying her was a direct contravention of the law of God as written by his prophet Moses. So if Abraham transgressed the direct commandment of God, then how is there no sin?

The law concerning that transgression had not yet been added. Without law there is no guilt of transgression. And it wasn’t just Abraham that married his sister. Abel. Seth. Enos. The first few men had no choice, they either had to marry a sister or not marry at all for there were no other women on the planet. But it was not sin because there was no law concerning it yet and where there is no law there is no guilt of transgression. But don’t you do it today. If you do it today you will be found guilty and condemned with the world.

Now does that mean that if we don’t know the law we are saved? No don’t go getting that idea. Even in the laws of man, the ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse. The Bible covers that too:

Romans 2: 12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.

They did not know any better so they are judged outside of the law. They however still do not have Christ because it is the law that is the schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. So without the law they are not judged in the law, yet they still do not, and cannot, have Christ. So since the law leads us to Christ we cannot find salvation outside of the law, and since the law cannot justify us we cannot find salvation IN the law either. The law leads us to Jesus Christ, who is the salvation, the resurrection and the life. Jesus said:

Luke 12: 47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

See, the law teaches us to come to Christ, but if we do not come, the punishment is most severe. Ignorance is no excuse. The one who did not know of the law was still beaten with stripes. But the one who knew it was doubly guilty, first for transgressing the law and then also for disregarding the law which he knew. The Bible goes on to say in Hebrews that if we sin willfully after we come to the knowledge of the truth there is no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for judgment.

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus tells us here that we must do the will of the Father if we are to have any hope of entering the kingdom of Heaven. Then in order to be saved we need to know exactly what is the will of the Father? How can we know what the will of the Father is?

We need someone to teach us what the Will of the Father is or we could never know it. Without a teacher we are lost. God provided a teacher and not just any old teacher but a schoolmaster. The law is our schoolmaster. The law tells us what sin is, and what is not sin. It is the law that teaches us what the perfect will of God is. The law was added because of transgressions against God’s perfect will. It was added to teach us what those transgressions are and to show us what our reward is if we do them. Without the law how would we know? How would you know what God required of you unless He told you? You could try guessing. Lots of churches do that and look where it got them. We have over a thousand “Christian” churches today all preaching different, all preaching a different “perfect will of God”. God can only have ONE perfect will.

So the Law is our schoolmaster. Unfortunately that leaves us with a peculiar little paradox. We are told conclusively that we need the law, and that it is the law that teaches us the perfect will of God and leads us to Christ that we might be justified. But the Bible also says:

Galatians 5:18But if ye be led of the spirit, ye are not under the law.

How can we resolve this apparent contradiction? Like I said many times in the past, every line has to run true or it isn’t Bible. The Bible is incapable of contradicting itself, so if we find a contradiction then we must be off the scriptures somewhere.

If our doctrine gets stuck somewhere in scripture then that is a sign that our doctrine is wrong and we have to start over. Always remember that. If we have to explain away a single line of scripture, then our Urim Thummim, the Holy Bible, the Word of God, is telling us that we are wrong. Every doctrine of God lines up perfectly with every single word in the Bible. There are no mistakes.

But are we stuck with a contradiction or do we just need a couple of scriptures to bridge the gap in our understanding? There isn’t any gap in the Word, it’s complete and perfect. The gap is in our understanding of the Word, or rather our lack of understanding of the Word of God.

So let’s find the bridge that ties the two thoughts perfectly together.

The law is our schoolmaster, which the Bible says in Galatians, has two purposes. It first brings us to Christ. Second, in bringing us to Christ it brings us to a place where we can be justified by faith.

Lets start with the first thought. The law is our schoolmaster which brings us to Christ. So the law teaches us something, and what we learn from the law somehow brings us to Christ. Is that right? What does the law teach us?

We’ve already seen that it teaches us what is and what is not sin by showing us and defining what transgressions are. It clearly demonstrates to us what the perfect will of God is and thus shows us when we are not in the perfect will of God.

If we know what the crimes are, then we know what God wants us to avoid doing. And if we know what God wants us to NOT do, then by default does it not also tell us what God wants us to do? And if we know what God wants us to do, and we know what God wants us to not do, doesn’t that mean that we know the will of God? It makes sense doesn’t it? This brings us back to what Jesus said about who gets into the kingdom, those who do the will of my Father. And now by the teaching of the schoolmaster, we can know what the will is.

How can you do the will if you don’t know what the will is? We’ve come full circle. So the schoolmaster teaches us the Will of God. Is that all it teaches? Is that all we need, to know what the transgressions are? Will that in and of itself bring us to Christ and to justification by faith? The Bible says no. The Bible says it is not enough to know the law. It is not enough to know the will of the father. Jesus didn’t say those who know the will of the Father get into heaven, but only those who DO the will of the Father. Remember it also says in James chapter two “you believe in one God, you have done well, the devil also believes and trembles”. (Most churches today don’t even believe in one God, they believe in three Gods. They are not even as spiritual as the devil.)

James 1: 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Knowing right from wrong is not enough, we must be doers of the word and not hearers only. And James pointed out that it is the law that teaches us as well.

St. John 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Jesus said if you didn’t know better then there was no sin, but since you do know better, and you claim to know better, your sin remains. They knew the will of the Father, they had the schoolmaster of the law, but they did not obey and they did not receive its teaching. They had been under its teaching their whole lives. But still it wasn’t enough. Was it just because they did not obey the law?

Lets take an example:

Mark 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him , Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross and follow me.

So here we have someone who knows the law, and who keeps the law and has kept it his whole life, yet that wasn’t enough because he could see that he did not possess eternal life. He still was not justified. Knowing and keeping the law did not justify him. The law cannot justify us.

The law is our schoolmaster, and it teaches us what the transgressions are. And in teaching us it is supposed to bring us to Christ but the law itself cannot justify us. We can have the whole law and yet be unjustified as the rich ruler was. He had the law and the Bible says he even kept it from his youth, but he did not have eternal life. He was not justified. He was lost.

But it is not the law that justifies us. It was never intended to justify us but to bring us to the One that would justify us. That man is Jesus Christ. And he justified us through the law by fulfilling the law. Remember earlier we said the law has two components. One told us what not to do. And the other told us of the penalty for transgression. The first part was accomplished to John the Baptist time. That is what Jesus said. The law and the prophets were unto John. So the Old Testament is the schoolmaster that shows us what not to do and what to do. Where does Jesus come in?

Jesus Christ fulfilled the entire law. The law was added until John then Jesus, the great capstone, fulfilled the law. He fulfilled the law first by taking the commandment part of the law and changing it from an external law to an internal law. In the old testament it was a physical do or do not. But Jesus tells us that it is not enough to maintain a physical outer law. We must have the law internally.

Matthew 5: 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. BUT I SAY unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

Just stop there for a moment. If we are angry at a brother without cause we are guilty of murder? Is that what Jesus is saying. He said in old days you had to actually take the life but today it is sufficient to hate without cause. The External law is transformed to an Internal law today. God said in our day he would write his word upon our hearts and minds. So if it is written on our hearts and minds then it can also be also transgressed in our hearts and minds. This is an essential concept. I hope you are catching that.

Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 BUT I SAY unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Jesus said that the person has “Committed it in his heart”. The law is written on our hearts so it is also transgressed in our hearts. So then what chance do we have? At least at one time it was a matter of subjugating the urges you felt and just not going out and doing them. Now to simply willfully entertain those things in our thoughts makes us guilty of sin. Is there any hope for any of us? Certainly not in the law, it condemns us to death. It condemns us internally.

1 John 3: 20 for if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. 22 And whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

The law is now an internal law and will condemn us internally if we even desire to commit a transgression of the law.

But Jesus fulfilled the whole law. He fulfilled the first part. He fulfilled the law by completing the second part as well. He took the entire penalty for all transgressions upon himself. He took All the transgressions both external and internal. He paid the price in his flesh for every sin committed, past, present and future.

That is our only hope, our only salvation, our only reason to live, our only way to live. He alone is the truth the life and the way. He is all in all. Oh what miserable creatures we were without him. And when we receive Him we are set free from the law of sin. Here we get to a very crucial point. This is a point that will surprise most who read this. It is perfectly scriptural but little known. It is absolutely the Bible, absolutely the truth but hidden from most. Remember the paradox we just reviewed.

Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the spirit, ye are not under the law.

And also:

Galatians 3: 25 But AFTER that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

So the schoolmaster, the law, teaches us and bring us to Christ and then WHEN we receive Christ in faith, He justifies us through that faith because he fulfilled the law. At THIS POINT we are set free from the law. It is the very moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior that we are set free from the law. We were not set free 2000 years ago. He fulfilled his part back then, but we are not personally set free from the Law until the moment we accept Jesus Christ.

We are set free from the Law the moment we receive Christ, not before.

So what of those who have not received Christ? So what of those not led by the spirit? The term If always goes with then. If, then. IF, IF ye are led of the spirit THEN, ye are not under the law. We have to slow down here a little. This is going to be a chunk of meat for some I think.

So then are those who are not led by the spirit, those who refuse the spirit, those who refuse Christ still under the law? Absolutely!

Those who refuse Christ are still under the law!

They will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an answer for every word in the law. We are either under the law or under grace, there is no third position. We are either in or out. We are either saved or lost. With law comes the judgment and if there were no law then there could not be judgment. And the Bible says he who offends the law in one word is guilty of all. Is that Bible? We mentioned it earlier.

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

He is “guilty of all”. If we do not receive Jesus Christ as our saviour, if we are not justified by faith in Him, we will be held accountable for every letter of the law and we will be found Guilty of ALL.

Galatians 3:10 for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

All the things, not some of them, not most of them, not all but one thing, A-L-L, ALL of them. If we are not in Christ Jesus then we are still under the entire written law. The New Testament is of absolutely none effect to us without the blood of Jesus Christ.

So then what do we do? Receive Christ! Sound good but how? Men and brethren what shall we do?

Acts 2: 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

See, at this point Jesus had already died for our sins some 50 days ago and risen and ascended on high, but those men who witnessed the pouring out of the Holy Spirit were pricked in their hearts. They were internally condemned by the internal law of the Spirit of God. They were guilty of the law and condemned by it and they knew it. They realized they needed to be justified.

Peter said to them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Do you see it? By receiving Jesus Christ we are set free from the law. Without law is no sin. We still committed the acts, but we are set free from the guilt of it. When we repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, it is at that moment that we are set free from the law. It is at that moment in time that we are justified. Until that very second we were completely under the law and guilty of the whole law and condemned to death and hell.

And we must follow exactly for there is a way that seems right unto man the end thereof is death. The Bible gives us a very detailed description of how to receive Jesus Christ. First we must repent, get the inward law and acknowledge our transgressions and make right those things we had made wrong. Then we must be baptized in full immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ. No other baptism, no baptism in titles, but specifically in the name of Jesus Christ. Thre is exactly one baptism. That is why in Acts chapter 19 a group of repentant believing Christians needed to be rebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ; their original baptism was in error.

Another place where people get lost here is they forget the repent part. Miss that and you go in a dry sinner and come out a wet one. Repent. Make the wrong into a right. Live according to His commandments. Die unto yourselves. Baptism is a burial. And today I think we bury to many live people.

St. John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

What does it mean to “keep” his words? Does it just mean to know them? Does it maybe mean to not change them in any way? The Greek word used here is tereo which means to guard, obey and observe. The Greek word for prison has the same root. So how do we keep His words? It is more than to just know them or to maintain them. To keep the word of God is to imprison them in our hearts and minds. Don’t let them go. Guard them with our lives.

We guard them, we observe them, we obey them, we live them. But what of the law, we are free from the law. So how can we be free from law and yet still have commandments to obey? Are they not the same, commandments and law?

We saw how the law has two facets, a do or do not do, and a punishment for transgression. And we have seen that it is no more an external law but an internal law of the desires of the heart. But here we have commandments. Here we have a way of life laid out in print. And there is not a punishment for not transgressing his commandments.

If we do not keep his commandments then we are still under the law and the law contains the punishment. Do you see it? Jesus said if we keep his commandments, his words, then He will make his abode with us and justify us and free us from the law. So when we keep his words we are free from the law. Then, conversely, when we reject his words, any of his words, we are guilty under the law.

So then we need to receive Him. Have we received him? How do we know we have received him? How do we know we are justified?

Jesus said by their fruits ye shall know them. So what are the fruits? What was the sign of the spirit, the sign that the 120 were told by Jesus to watch for at Pentecost? The sign was Power. How does that power manifest? What is the fruit of that vine?

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions heresies 21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they with do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith 23 meekness, temperance: against which there is not law.

See, the law is brought in because of transgressions, because of the work of the flesh, and the law condemns those works and assigns a punishment to them. But the fruit of the spirit aren’t transgressions so there is no law concerning them. So when we receive the spirit of God then we are free from works of the flesh and thus the law concerning those works, being justified by faith in Jesus Christ.

A little note here that I hope doesn’t concern anyone reading here. The word witchcraft doesn’t mean black magic here, it is from the Greek word pharmakeia which means drug user. It means a Drug user of any kind. We are not talking medicines we are talking recreational or addicted drug user. We are talking about cigarette smokers. It refers to marijuana smokers. It is pointing out heroin, MMDA, Cocaine, etc etc users. They are different words but all the same meaning. Paul says if you smoke you will NOT inherit the kingdom of God because you are still under the law as a transgressor of the law and will be judged by the law.

So get free from the works of the flesh today. Jesus Christ bled and died to set you free from those things. Accept him and his sacrifice today. Throw those things out of your life and be saved in Christ. Throw them in the garbage and go to your knees in prayer for strength to overcome, for faith to be delivered and he will give it to you because he promised it. God cannot lie. God cannot fail.

Why can we not live in the works of the flesh and be saved? Because the sprit and the flesh are contrary to each other and the works of the flesh are the very transgressions that the law was added for. We cannot serve God and mammon.

Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and you members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.

It says here to whom (personal pronoun) we yield ourselves to obey Him (personal pronoun) we serve. If we obey the spirit of God, THEN we are justified by faith and free from the law. But if we yield to sin and the spirit of the world, to the flesh, then we are not justified and still under the law and will be judged accordingly.

And it is not just a matter of doing the acts anymore. We saw earlier that it is a matter of WANTING to do them, of consciously desiring them. Now we are all tempted, that is for sure, and tempted in our weakness and in our flesh. The difference is in what we DECIDE to do about it. A battle rages in the mind of every Christian, the greatest battle ever fought. And the thoughts in our minds during this battle are not sin, they are temptations TO sin. They arise out of our flesh, and out of our weakness.

So what is the difference? When does our fleshly lusts, which we all have and will have until the rapture changes our bodies, when does it become sin? When is it a transgression? When is it the fruit of the flesh? The thoughts are the seed and a seed must germinate and grow to bear fruit. So then when does the seed of sin that the devil is trying to plant become the fruit of the flesh and sin?

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13Let no man way when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be temped with evil, neither tempted he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

So the temptation is not sin but a blessing! That is hard to believe and I think most will reread that line because they will think they read it wrong the first time. The temptations are a blessing. The Bible says so. We are blessed when we endure temptation.

The fight in our minds, the evil thoughts that come up, the war we have with the devil on a daily basis, is a blessing to us IF we are overcomers. For when we are tried we receive a crown of life. But when do these trials become a sin, a transgression? When we let them conceive, when we make the decision that we want consciously to do them. It is not just having the desire in our flesh, that is the battle, but when we decide that yes I want to do that. That is when we become wilfull sinners. When we decide that even though we know the Word says not to do it, even though our schoolmaster says it is a transgression, we decide that we want to do it anyway. Then we let the thoughts enter our hearts.

It is at this point that sin conceives in us and bears the fruit in time. Remember Jesus said if a man looks at a woman to lust after her. A healthy man cannot look at a beautiful naked woman without being affected. But that isn’t sin. It is when he decides that he wants to keep looking and lusting, when the spirit says turn away and he thinks in his mind, NO, I like it and I am going to do it, that is when the sin conceives in his heart.

The devil will tell you that “oh you got tempted by this or that and you sinned and are lost”. That is a lie! The temptations are there to prove us, to try us, so that we may receive a crown. We just read that when we are tempted it is a BLESSING to us. The temptations are a blessing to us. It is when we yield to the temptation that we are doing wrong. And pay close attention here. This is a very important point. The devil will only tell you that you are wrong when you are right. And he will only tell you that you are right when you are wrong.

Did you get that? The devil will only tell you that you are lost when you are saved. If you are saved he will never point out your fault to you, he’ll point it out to everyone else, but never to you because he knows once you see your fault that you will repent and be free from it being justified by Jesus Christ. Do you see it?

He will try to get you to compromise on the word. He will try to get you to believe his interpretation where he explains away scripture. He will play with your pride by praising you to try to get you to be proud and steal God’s glory. And he will use your pride by insulting and attacking you to try to get you to step out from the word and defend yourself. And the big one here, he will try and convince you that you sinned a sin beyond salvation, that you are serpent’s seed, that you have gone too far. He will only tell you that when it is a lie because he is a liar. And he will only tell you that when it is not true because-

SATAN IS ONLY AT WAR WITH THE SAINTS!

Did you get that? The devil is only at war with the saints. His battle is with the predestinated children of God. He will never say those things to the lost. He is trying to convince you of his lie by telling you that you are lost. But the Bible says that “all those who cry out in the name of the Lord shall be saved”. The Bible says that “he will never leave us or forsake us”. Is that Bible? Then what the devil says must be a lie.

He will also tell you that you are saved when you are not. He will tell you that what I have said up here today is bunk and not worth the effort to listen to. He is looking to destroy you. If he can’t destroy you completely he at least wants to make you a foolish virgin. He will tell you that you are fine when you are not. And he will tell you that you are lost and unsavable when you are already saved and justified by Jesus Christ.

That devil is cagey and sly but the Bible shows us his colours. Remember the spirit of God shows you your wrongs AND the way to repentance. The law, the schoolmaster is there to lead us the Christ. Is that what we read? The law shows us what transgressions are, and leads us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Amen? So when your mind and thoughts show you that you are wrong and going into judgment with no hope, then that is not God doing it. God shows you your wrongs and leads you to repentance and takes the guilt away.

God doesn’t tell you that you are hopelessly lost, he tells you that he has saved you and that he wants you to repent and come back to him. The one telling you that you are lost and beyond hope is the devil. And he is a liar. He always was a liar and always will be a liar. Don’t believe a word of it. There certainly will be a time when it will be too late to repent, but don’t think the devil will remind you of that. He wants to convince you to give up, to believe that you are too bad, too evil, too weak, too sinful to be saved. DON”T BELIEVE IT!

The law is our schoolmaster which shows us what transgressions are that we may come repenting to Christ and receive Jesus and be justified by Christ in faith. The law, the Bible, shows us that we are wrong so that we might have cause to repent and come to Christ. The Law shows us our faults so that we might make them right. The law shows us our weakness so that we may seek the strength of Jesus Christ. The law shows us our unrighteousness so that we may seek to be covered in the robes of His righteousness. The law shows us our sin so that we may wash it in the blood of the lamb. The law shows us judgment that we may find grace.

Fight the fight. Put on the whole armour of God. Give NO place to the devil. Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Don’t allow your fleshly lusts to conceive sin. Get into Christ. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receive the Holy Spirit. It is for you. It is God’s promise to you. Get out from under the law and under the all sufficient umbrella of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The door is still open, He is still on the mercy seat, the fountain is open deep and wide to wash away all your sin, all your iniquity and make you a new creation in Christ Jesus the Lord. Get everything under the blood Jesus Christ. Let the schoolmaster show you what is wrong that you might make it right. Examine the rule of the schoolmaster that you might be led to Christ and justified by faith in him.

There is no other salvation, nor any other name given where we can find salvation. Jesus Christ alone, in him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily.

The Bible goes on to say that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst men. Jesus Christ is the word of God made flesh. The Bible is Jesus Christ, the word of God, in print. Paul says to change a word, even if you were an angel from heaven, you get you cursed. We must accept the whole word of God, the entire Bible, exactly as it is written with no interpretations or changes. Our doctrine must hold true from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. His word will never change.

Look into the perfect law of liberty today and let it lead you to the one salvation, the one true God and eternal life, the Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the healer of all of our diseases. He forgives all of your transgressions. Accept him as your Lord and savior. Repent and be baptized in his name and come out from under the bondage of the law today.

Colossians 3:1 If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in Glory.

We cannot be risen until we are first buried.

May the Lord add a blessing to the reading of His word.

I’ld like to take as a topic for today “If ye be risen with Christ” and a text “Eulogy of the Flesh”. That is quite a concept. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. He was born, he lived, he died, he was buried, he even went into hell, and now he is risen from the dead and lives forevermore. Jesus Christ is alive and well today.

He sits today on the mercy seat making intercession for us. He is our advocate. When we make a mistake we bring it before his throne and he makes the intercession for us. When he steps off of that mercy seat to rapture away his bride, there will be no more mercy for he will no longer be our priest, he will be our King. And he will be our judge. And he will sit in the judgment seat and judge every man by his own word.

But today, at least at the writing of this blog, he is on the mercy seat. One day somebody may be reading this, and it will be too late. This morning he is on the mercy seat. This afternoon, he may not be there anymore, but right now at this moment he is still making intercession for us. But I digress for the moment.

So then “if ye be risen with Christ”. Quite a concept it is indeed. How can we be risen? And how can we be risen with Christ? Did you ever ask that question? Did you get an answer?

To start with, in order to be risen, must we not first die? To be risen, is to resurrect, or to come back to life. Then we must have to be dead in order to come back to life. And truly each and every one of us was dead in trespasses and sin.

Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

All! Everyone of us was concluded under sin. We were all dead in sin. And anyone who has not been born again is still spiritually dead. Walking, talking, laughing, singing, working, dancing, running and jumping and D-E-A-D dead. It does not matter who you are or who you think you are, if you do not have the Holy Spirit in you then you are absolutely dead. You could be a preacher, a president or a pope and it would not help you; the only true life, the only eternal life, is in Jesus Christ. Hard words but we need to hear them.

But it is not enough to be dead in sin. We need to be dead TO sin.

In order to be brought back to life we must die, to ourselves, to our flesh, and to the sin which dwells in our flesh. It is within our very flesh that sin, unbelief, dwells. Our flesh is lustful. It is evil. Our flesh is so bad that even the Lord God cannot fix it. Our flesh is not redeemed, our souls are. Then we move from our flesh to our theophany. Flesh and blood cannot inherit eternal life. The flesh loves fleshly pleasures that are contrary to the will of God.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

That is not my word but God’s very own holy word. The lusts and desires of our flesh, of my flesh, of your flesh, are totally and completely contrary to the will of God. They work against God. In order to be the children of God we must be overcomers of sin and of this flesh. It is not enough to hold our flesh prisoner, it will escape. That is what we do in the carnal. That is how alcoholics anonymous works. They train themselves to take their flesh prisoner, to control their urges, to quit doing the bad thing. But the desires are still there and one day when you are least expecting it those desires will rear up and overtake you and you are back at square one. You never overcame, and the reason you never overcame is that your sin never died.

If you do not die to your sin then your sin is still alive in you!

Look at cancer. How is it treated? The doctors will cut our most of it from you, but there is still some left, and if more is not done, it will grow and destroy you. We quit smoking, we quit this quit that and think we are fine. We have just cut a few parts of sin away but there is more left just like cancer and just like cancer what is left will grow and destroy you. So the doctor then administers a poison called chemotherapy. The poison is designed to kill the remaining cancer cells. If even one cancer cell is missed by the poison, then it can grow, and with your weakened body from the poison, it will soon devour you. To those who are spiritual, even if every cancerous cell is destroyed, as long as the cancer spirit remains, the cancer can come back. That is how a person can be “cured” of cancer and then die of it ten years later. The spirit that caused it was never cast out. That is the same way a person can quit smoking and then start back up 15 years later. The spirit never left them.

We cut this, and cut that, and get psychology, and seek therapy, and get religious, and come to church, and hang out with new people and cut out a bunch of old habits. But if there is sin left behind, if we do not actually kill the sin then it will grow.

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fall of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Just like cancer, a root of bitterness, an undead sin in us, will spring up when we are least expecting it and defile us. That is why we MUST die to our sin. If we just put off a few things, or quit a few things, then we are not dead yet. We cannot be risen until we are first dead! Let me repeat that so it sinks in. We cannot be risen until we are first dead!

People will ask, “what must I do to get the Holy Spirit?” DIE! Die to your sin so that you can be risen with Christ. Die a death as sure as if you put a gun to your head and blew your brains across the room. But the death is a spiritual one, not physical.

Romans 6: 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of live. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 for he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

Do you see it? Did you get all that? Lets look at it more closely:

Romans 6: 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death?

How were you baptized? Were you baptized into a church? That is what the Jehovah witnesses do. Not into Christ but into a church. Most denominations will baptize you into titles of father son and holy ghost. But look what the scripture says, we must be baptized into Christ. Then and only then are we baptized into his death. But there is more.

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of live.

Buried in baptism. Not sprinkled with him, but buried with him in baptism. A full immersion in water is required or the Lord does not recognize it. Jesus was placed in a tomb. Then we must walk in the newness of life. A new life. We must live a new life. If we are not living a new life, with new ideas and new desires then we are not yet dead to our sin. That is the problem, we get so excited to baptize people that we are baptizing live people. We are burying live people. You cannot bury someone until they are dead. The Bible says to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. Repent, die unto sin, then be baptized. Without repentance you will simply go in a dry sinner and walk out a wet sinner. A spiritual zombie. We will think we are OK, but according to the Word of God, we are not.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Our old man is crucified with him. The body of sin is destroyed. Is our old man crucified this morning, or just kept under raps until we get out of church and away from other Christians? Are we dead to sin? Are you serving sin in your life? If so then you are not dead to sin yet.

7 for he that is dead is freed from sin.

There it is in one line. “He that is dead is freed from sin.” There is your answer. There is my answer. If we are dead then we are free from sin, therefore if we are not free from sin then we are not yet dead. One leads directly to the other.

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

And there is the fulfillment, “if we be dead with Christ we shall also live with him”. So to put it together, if we are dead then we are free from sin and thus we will live with him.

If we are still serving sin, then we are not yet dead, and we will NOT live with him.

Now there is a difference between serving sin and making mistakes. You and I will make mistakes until the very moment of the rapture. Every one of us will fall short. We are in the flesh and thus quite imperfect. The difference is, are you serving sin? Are you pandering to your lusts? We all have lusts. Do we sin wilfully? Anyone who says they are not tempted is a liar. The flesh we live in, that we just heard, wars against the spirit, but do we pander to our lusts, or do we do as the Apostle Paul did?

1 Corinthians 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

“I Die Daily”.

Not once years ago when we became Christians, but each and every day of our lives, we either put our flesh to death, or we pander to it. It is not just to not do things, but to not want to do them. As Christians we become an incredible paradox, the desires of our hearts and the desires of our bodies are completely different. We will look into that in a few minutes.

Who do we obey. Who do you obey? Who were you obeying last night, last Tuesday? Who will you obey tonight? Sin is of the devil. If we have not crucified our flesh and died unto sin, then in serving and obeying sin, we are servants of the devil. Let that sink in. Hear it and understand it. If we are serving sin, then we are servants of the devil.

If we sin wilfully, then we are wilfully serving Satan.

Nobody here wants to serve the devil. If you did, you would not be reading a Christian Blog, and certainly would not have gotten this far in it. But that is how deceiving it is. That is how he sneaks in. When Eve disobeyed God and listened to the serpent, she was serving the devil. She didn’t realize it at the time, but she was doing it. Every time we serve our sin, our lusts, we serve Satan. Remember that. Every time we pander to our lusts, we are serving the one that makes us sick. Every time we obey our lusts we are serving the one who is killing us. Think about it.

Hebrews 9: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Purge your conscience of dead works.

When we receive Christ he purges our conscience of dead works. Our flesh is still evil. We still have fleshly lusts that war against the soul, but now we have a new desire. Here is the paradox. Our body wants to do one thing, but our minds and hearts have a desire to do the opposite. It does not make sense to the carnal mind and in fact it seems quite mad. Our minds and hearts want to do things that do not please our flesh, things that do not bring us pleasure in the flesh, and not do things that our flesh finds very pleasurable.

And we fight a war daily with our flesh, crucifying it with Christ, so that when he comes, and he will come so very soon, we will be with him and be made like him. Lets continue our original scripture for a moment.

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, with is idolatry: 6 For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

That’s pretty straight. You know your lives. I know my life. God knows our lives. We all have our individual weaknesses and the devil will attack you where you are weakest. But “mortify your members”. Kill them! Die unto sin and live!

Without Christ it is all impossible. If it were possible then he died in vain. But it is not possible without him. We have to meet Jesus Christ in person. It is not good enough to sit in church and hear about him. That is good, very good, but not good enough. We need the new birth. And it comes, as the fleshly birth, in three steps. And it has an amazing result on our lives.

Ezekiel 36 25: Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: an d I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. 28 and ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses; and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. 31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Can you see it coming together? First we get a new heart where we are sorry for our lives and realize that we need salvation, then a new spirit that makes us desire the things of God, his holiness and righteousness, then the Holy Spirit which imparts God’s holiness and righteousness to us. Water, blood and spirit. Justification, sanctification and filling.

And look at the results. First we receive the blessings of the Lord, the salvation of the Lord, Justification. We still have desires. We have guilt. But he removes the guilt. He washes it away. Then the sanctification where he cleanses us from all our uncleanness and iniquities. Then comes the paradox into us. We will loathe our own selves because of our fleshly lusts and the lives we used to live where we catered to those lusts which God calls abominations. God calls our own ways evil. My way is evil. Your way is evil. God’s way is good. Only God’s way is good. And He gives us the Holy Spirit. It is that Holy Spirit that empowers us.

Your flesh will fight against God’s way, which is in his word, and will hate it for God’s way crucifies your flesh in the lusts thereof.

Life is a series of decisions. We are given free choice in this life. We choose our final destination. Each and every one of us decides where we go. If you go to heaven, that was your choice, if you go to hell, that is also your choice. But those choices are wrapped up in the myriad of other choices we make every minute of every day. With every though, every word and every action, we have to decide how we are going to react.

You had to decide whether to come to church or not. You have to decide whether to believe what I am saying or not believe it. You have to decide whether even to listen. You have to decide whether or not you will receive Jesus Christ. You do that party by deciding whether or not you will believe and obey his word.

This is the word of God. If you accept it you are accepting God, and if you reject it you are rejecting God. My words are nothing, but His word is all powerful. What is more important to you, God or the world? Decide. What is more important to you God or your friends? God or your popularity? God or your reputation? God or your career? God or your fashions? God or your pride? God or your church?

Decisions, decisions, and each one leads you on a path. There is a way which seemeth right unto man, the end thereof is death. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. Eve had to decide. Cain had to decide. Even Jesus had to decide whether or not to go to Calvary for you. he had to decide whether or not to accept the devils offers in the wilderness.

You want to be raptured? You are deciding right here and now whether or not you will be raptured. Did you realize that? We will be judge on our lives by this Holy Revealed Word of God. Either we crucify our flesh and live with Christ or do the opposite.

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

When we hear this word of God we either accept it and crucify ourselves, or we reject it and crucify Jesus Christ afresh. I’ll let that sink in real deep. If we receive the word of God then we will crucify our flesh.

If we reject the word of God then we crucify Jesus Christ afresh.

You know Israel was given the word of God, and they rejected it at Kadesh Barnea. And when they rejected it they died. Two million people left Egypt with Moses, they were all Israelites, they all had the prophet and his message, they all ate manna, they all were baptized in the sea with Moses and they all died. All but two. Two out of two million.

There are some 3 billion people who call themselves Christians today. If numbers hold true then only 3000 people will be raptured from the whole planet. 8000 go missing every day in the United States alone, so 3000 from the whole planet would not be missed. The United States makes up 5% of the worlds population so statistically they will only loose 800 people in the rapture. Canada is one tenth the size. Are you going to be one of the 80 people in Canada that are raptured?

How many will be raptured? FEW! That is all we know. Could be 80 from Canada, could be eighty thousand, could be 1.

I’ve mentioned this before. If you run the numbers, there could have been as many as 13,000,000,000 people on earth in Noah’s day. That is twice the population of today. And of all those people only one was raptured.

I am not trying to depress you. I am not trying to make you sorry but to a Godly sorrow, for a Godly sorrow brings repentance, and repentance brings life. Don’t start thinking it is impossible. With the Lord nothing is impossible. It is so easy to receive eternal life. It is the easiest thing in the world to do. It has no price for the price was paid 2,000 years ago at Calvary. You don’t have to work for it. You do not have to buy it for it was already purchased for you by Jesus. Eternal life is absolutely free, and absolutely available to everyone here. Every man, woman and child here this morning can receive Jesus Christ into their hearts. Every single soul here can receive the Holy Spirit right now. Some already have received it. And every single soul that is filled can be refilled right now.

All you have to do to receive eternal life is to accept it. The pillar of fire is right there in the room with you. All you have to do is crucify your flesh. All you have to do is decide that the Word of God is right, and everything contrary is wrong, and leave your old life and follow Christ. Believe and obey the Word of God and you have eternal life! Jesus said he who believes and is baptized shall be saved and he who believes not shall be damned. So believe! Cast off all doubt and believe the word of God.

Only Believe! All things are possible if we only believe.

The Christian world, with all its denominations and organizations has rejected the word of God in favour of dogmas and creeds which are contrary to the Bible. Are we rejecting the Word of God? Look to the Bible, whatever it says is right. Anything that contradicts the Bible is wrong. It is that simple. It does not matter what you were thought, what your Sunday school teacher told you, what your preacher said, what the science journals say, what the TV says, if it is not word upon word, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little exactly according to the Bible it is wrong.

Our flesh is contrary to the Bible. Our flesh is wrong. Our carnal minds are contrary to the Bible. Our carnal minds are wrong. Our carnal minds cannot understand spiritual things. We cannot figure out the Lord God. The word must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the light of the world and it is only through him that we can understand anything spiritual. And the holy spirit will always point us back to the word of God.

People will tell you that God told them to do something, yet what they are doing is contrary to the word. It cannot be God for God cannot contradict himself. Yet they will be very religious in their doings.

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent et, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Very religious, having a form of godliness, but their flesh is not crucified. Look at the works described here and compare it to the fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5: 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law 24 and they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Can you see the difference? Men are lovers of their own flesh but we are told to crucify our flesh. If we love our flesh then we will fulfill the lusts thereof and crucify the Lord, but if we loved the Lord, then we will crucify our flesh with its lust. If we crucify our flesh and die to sin, then indeed we will raise with him, and are already risen with him and sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables.

This word of God is power. When we hear the word it goes to our roots. If we accept it, the word washes us clean and sets us free, but if we reject it, that same word will condemn us. If we do not crucify our flesh, if we love our own selves, then we will not be able to endure a word that condemns our flesh. If we love the Lord, then we will love how the word circumcises our hearts and ears. We will love how the word of God cuts away our flesh. We will love how receiving the word of God crucifies our flesh with the lusts thereof. If we are not living the word, then we will be condemned by it.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than a two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

God knows our every word, and our every move, and our every thought. When you hear his word, it will reveal what is inside you. It is better than any X-ray, better than any CAT scan, better than an ultrasound. God’s word cuts deeper than any of them. It cuts away at your flesh and not just at the surface, but deep into the bones and marrow. God’s word goes so deep that it reveals the thoughts and intents of the heart. Not just your thoughts, but the very motives behind your thoughts. Every desire, every lust, every want, every like and every dislike is open to him. He knows exactly what you are thinking about what I am saying, and why you are thinking it.

Our flesh cannot stand it. If our flesh is alive then it will flee from the presence of God, it will flee from the word. Our flesh hates the word of God. Our flesh is God’s enemy. Our fleshly carnal minds are God’s enemy.

If we crucify that flesh, then we will be able to endure sound doctrine, which is the Word of God, and we will be risen with Christ. And if we are risen with Christ we will seek those things above.

2 Corinthians 5: 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; 15 And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16 wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have know Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man b e in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all thins are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

We must become A new creation in Christ Jesus.

The new birth is not just a figure of speech, it is not a ceremony, it is a literal birth of a new person, a new human being, a new creature. Old things are passed away. Things you used to love, you now hate, and things you used to hate, you now love. Things that meant everything to you are now garbage. Things you were proud of you are now ashamed of. Things you would have been ashamed of are now your greatest treasures.

Are you changed? Have old friends commented on how they liked the old you better? People wonder what happened to you? People who used to be your friends now want nothing to do with you and avoid you? That is because you are not you anymore. You are now a brand new person. That is the new birth, it takes a twofold child of hell and rebirths them as a child of God.

It is a mystery indeed and the greatest miracle of all. God took Saul of Tarsus, a pompous religious murderer, and turned him into Paul the humble apostle and prophet messenger. God took the shameful creature that I was and made the creature I am now. God took the shameful creature that you were and made the creature you are now.

When you are born again you are the same person, but not the same person. You have the same mind, but with different thoughts in it. You have the same heart but a different spirit in it. Your desires change. Your tastes change. Your motives change. Your treasures change. Your goals change. Your priorities change. Your likes change. Your dislikes change. You become a brand new person. Even my tastes for food changed!

When you are born again, you become the person that God had in His mind when he wrote your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world. The predestinated seed will accept the Word of God. The predestinated seed will crucify their flesh. The predestinated seed will receive the holy spirit. The predestinated seed will believe every word in the Bible. Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. The predestinated seed is the Bride of Jesus Christ and just as Adam’s bride was a part of him, so is Christ’s bride a part of the Word of God.

It is up to us to choose, live for our flesh, or live for Christ. Crucify our flesh, or crucify Jesus. All we have to do is accept him, accept his word, believe his word and cry out to him.

Romans 10: 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 for the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You want salvation? Cry out! Confess Jesus Christ with your mouth. Do you believe he is here? Prove it. Talk to him. Cry out to him. If you saw him standing in front of you with your eyes you would all cry out and rush to him. He is there with you right now, closer to you than your own breath. The pillar of fire is right there. Cry out to him and be saved. Do you believe on him? The word says if you believe you will not be ashamed. Fear is a spirit. Resist the devil and he shall flee from you. Praise God!

Praise God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your body. Let every facet of your being cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ this moment, and receive of him. He is knocking at your heart this moment. Receive him and he will come into you and sup with you, and you with him. He will be your God, your saviour, your healer, your deliverer, your redeemer, your friend.

Do it today, do it now, tomorrow may well be too late.

May the peace and grace, power and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

John 19: 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Salvation is a Finished Work of the Lord Jesus

It may seem like an odd scripture with Christmas approaching; more like an Easter message. But for a Christian every day is Christmas and every day is Easter.

The Carnal man will look upon this scripture, and the context of it, and say that Jesus had fulfilled the final prophecies of his life, and said it was done, and died. While this is true, there is a far deeper spiritual meaning to what he said. What exactly was finished?

What did he come to accomplish? There are lots of ways to take this line of thinking. But this is the direction that the Lord put on my heart for today.

Matthew 5: 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

The first thing we see is that the Lord Jesus came to fulfill the law. Now in every law there are two distinct components. First there is a commandment, a do, or do not part. Second there is a penalty for transgression of the first part. Most people don’t realize this. That is why they do not understand how Jesus could fulfill the law. He did not change the do, do not part. He simply took the penalty for it upon himself. For example:

Exodus 21:12 12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

There are two distinct parts. 1) if you hit someone and they die, and 2) you shall be put to death. Jesus fulfilled this law. Does that mean you are now allowed to hit someone and kill them? NO! It means that Jesus took the penalty upon himself. If you had killed someone, and you repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, then Jesus Christ took the penalty of death upon himself at the Cross of Calvary. This does not give us license to sin, it justifies us from our sin. Big difference. They are completely different ideas.

Romans 6:What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Jesus Christ took the penalty of the law upon himself. The commandment is still there. The commandment is still in force. The penalty is still in force as well if we are not under the blood covenant of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ laid down his life and took it back up. We do the same thing in baptism. We lay down our lives with him, crucify our old man, our old nature, with him. The difference is that we do not pick our old lives back up. We pick his life up, or more correctly, his life, the Holy Spirit, picks us up. Then we no longer live, but it is Christ Jesus living in us.

Galatians 5: 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

If ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Therefore the corollary of that is If ye are NOT led by the Spirit, ye ARE under the law. Do you realize what that means? Every single soul that is not under the blood of Jesus Christ, that has not entered into the covenant of the New Testament, is still under the law. The Whole Law!

When they come up in the white throne judgement, they will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ using the entire letter of the law. They will be held accountable for every single law, every single ordinance in the Old Testament of the Bible.

It is finished! It indeed is. But we still must receive it! If we reject the pardon that was signed by the blood of Jesus Christ, we will be called to answer for every single letter of the Law of Moses.

It is finished! For the children of God, it is finished!

1 Peter 2: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

When were you healed? You and I were healed 2,000 years ago. It is finished!

But do we act that way? Do we act as though it is finished? We have a promise of the Lord. Every single disease, every single sickness, every single ailment we will ever get has already been healed! It is finished.

2 Chronicles 16: 12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

Now Asa was not an unbeliever. He had a long history with the Lord, and with the supernatural power and might of the Lord God Jehovah. He also had a promise of the Lord spoken to him by a prophet:

2 Chronicles 15: And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: 2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; TheLordis with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. 4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto theLordGod of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. 5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. 6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. 7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. 8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of theLord, that was before the porch of theLord.

King Asa had the Word of the Lord. The prophet was sent and brought him the message of the hour. Do we have a message? Are we going to trust in the Lord, in the message, in the Word of God?

King Asa saw the Lord deliver him from undefendable odds. And the Lord not only defeated his enemies, he was given 35 years of peace. That is supernatural in any era. Yet after all that, after 35 years of supernatural experiences, after hearing the words of a vindicated prophet, when trouble came, he rejected the way of the Lord and sought the arm of flesh. And it cost him his life.

Why? Because with King Asa, it was not finished!

2 Chronicles 15: 16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

He did run well. He cut down the idols and burnt them. He cast out the idolaters. He was a message believer! He was justified in his day. He was sanctified in his day. He sanctified all of Israel!

BUT, “the high places were not taken away out of Israel”. His new birth was not complete!

Ezekiel 36: 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

The new birth is not a single event. It is several events locked together. It is just like the natural birth. The baby is conceived. We often forget that part in discussing the new birth. The baby is conceived first! How? A seed is planted and the seed grows, and the seed bears fruit. That fruit is the baby.

The first thing that happens in a new birth is the planting of the seed, which is the Word of God. The life in that seed is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 6:63 that “my words are spirit and life”. The first step in the new birth is that someone like you or I, someone who carries the seed, plants it in the heart of the heathen. Big word to use in this politically correct day. We are all heathens once too.

The life in the seed is the Holy Spirit. If we do not have the Holy Spirit, then the seed is dead inside of us. If we do not have the Holy Spirit, then the seed that we plant is a dead seed. That is why we have over 1,000 denominations on earth with 3 Billion people calling themselves Christians, all preaching out of the Bible, and planting DEAD SEED!

2 Corinthians 3: 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

If we preach the Word of God without the Holy Spirit, we are planting a DEAD SEED, a seed that will rot and kill the host. We will kill people with that dead seed. How can the Word of God bring death?

2 Samuel 6: 3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.5 And David and all the house of Israel played before theLordon all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.7 And the anger of theLordwas kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

They were carrying the Word of God, the Ark. They had a good intent. They had no evil or malicious intent in their hearts. David, the King that the Bible says was a man after God’s own heart, led the way. They had musicians out in front. They had a program, a religious program that looked perfect. They had everything lined up but one. The wrong people were handling the Word. The Bible says it must be carried on the left shoulders of the Levites, over their hearts.

And when the Word of God went forth without the Spirit of God, then even the righteous man Uzzah died. Without the Spirit of God, the Seed of God, the Holy Bible, is DEAD.

Without the Holy Spirit, the message of the hour will bring DEATH! It is a dead seed without the life of Christ in it. That is why we have so many churches, preaching the Bible, and yet all they can create is still born babies.

So the new birth starts with the planting of the seed, the live, spirit borne seed. Then the seed germinates. A baby germinates for 40 weeks. Forty is one of God’s special numbers. Moses was on the mountain for 40 days. Jesus fasted for 40 days.

The seed of the Word of God will germinate in the heart, watered by the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit does not indwell at this point, it anoints. There is a different. Remember Jesus said the Spirit would be with us, AND in us. And is a conjunction. Two separate events.

Then we get to the point where we usually start speaking on the New Birth. First we have Justification, then we have Sanctification, then we receive the Spirit.

1 John 5: 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

It is the Spirit that bears witness. Not the letter. The birth is water, blood and spirit. Just like a physical birth, first the water breaks, then the blood, then the baby. So too with the new birth. First the water, the justification in baptism. Then the blood, the sanctification. Then the filling of the Holy Spirit. Three definite steps.

And again the Scripture says here that “the witness of God is greater”. The witness is the Holy Spirit. Our witness without the Holy Spirit, is the witness of men, and it is powerless. It becomes a second had gospel.

Acts 19: 13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of theLordJesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

These seven men had heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They had heard the message of the hour from the mouth of the prophet. Not only had they heard the message, they also saw the vindication in signs, wonders and miracles.

But for them it was not finished!

They had the letter, but they did not have the spirit. They came with a second hand gospel. They came quoting the prophet but without the spirit, they simply had the testimony of man. The testimony of God is greater. For the seven men, it was not finished. They had the message, but they did not have the Spirit or the Revelation of the message.

Is it finished for YOU?

We have to make this personal, intensely and completely personal. Do you have the Revelation and the Spirit? Is your new birth complete? Is your faith complete? Only you can answer that.

Are you trusting completely in the Lord today? Asa could not. He had the message. He heard it from the mouth of the prophet. He had 35 years of supernatural experiences with the Lord. Yet it was not finished for him. He did not take away the high places. He did a lot. But he did not do it all.

David, the man after God’s own heart, the anointed King of Israel, did almost everything. He had the musicians. He had all but one thing. He failed to get the Levites to carry the Word. He failed to get the Spirit of God in the picture. He had the letter, but not the word. He was planting a dead seed.

That can happen in our message churches today, and indeed it is happening. It was even happening when Brother Branham was here. He warned of it. He warned of the need for repentance before baptism. He said we are going in dry sinners and coming out wet sinners. He said we were creating still born Christians. It is the same today. Where is the Lord today? We have the message. We have the quotes. We have the music. We have fancy Churches. We have big buildings, great architecture, beautiful interiors, lights and sounds, audio visual systems, professional musicians and singers. We have preachers in $5000 suits.

They are Ox Carts!

The Word of God is not carried in a building, or an organization, or a system, or a program. It is not carried in a denomination. They can only carry the letter, the dead letter.

The Word of the God, the Spirit of God, can only be carried in the hearts of the Christians. The Lord dwells in the hearts of the Bride of Christ, and nowhere else.

Judges 6: 7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto theLordbecause of the Midianites,8 That theLordsent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith theLordGod of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;10 And I said unto you, I am theLordyour God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.11 And there came an angel of theLord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.12 And the angel of theLordappeared unto him, and said unto him, TheLordis with thee, thou mighty man of valour.13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if theLordbe with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not theLordbring us up from Egypt? but now theLordhath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.14 And theLordlooked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

There are a few things to look at here to tie things together. First of they were sent the Prophet. The Prophet told them of all the power of the Lord God vindicating his word and his promises to them over the years. He is telling them that for them it should be finished.

Then we find the angel appearing to Gideon. Gideon responded with a very simply question. If God is with us, where is the supernatural vindication of a living God? Can we say the same today? If the Lord God is in our midst, then we have a healer here. If Jesus Christ is here, then there is deliverance. If there is a living God with us, then there will be supernatural signs, wonders and miracles. If for us it is finished, then we will most certainly have the fruit of it in full blossom.

And the third point, the angel did not say to Gideon that the Lord is with Israel, he said the Lord is with you.

The Lord God is with YOU! Go in thy might. Have I not sent thee?

The Lord God is with YOU Saints of God!

The only presence of the Lord God Jehovah, the Holy Spirit, is in the hearts of the children of God. He is nowhere else upon the face of the earth, except in you and I. When the rapture comes, it is the Spirit of God leaving this world, and anyone that is filled with that Spirit goes along for the ride. No Holy Spirit equals NO rapture.

Romans 10: 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

How shall they preach except they be sent? They will plant dead seeds! We can preach the gospel, we can quote the message and even perfectly imitate the Prophet’s voice, but without the Spirit, without being SENT, we will plant dead seeds. Our words will simply be the testimony of man and rot in the hearts of the people. It will make them sick and they will spiritually die.

Have I not sent you? Are you sent? Have you all been sent?

Mark 16: 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Go YE into all the world! If you are born again, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, if for you it is finished, then YOU have been sent. The harvest is ripe, but the labourers are few, and far between.

Is it finished?

Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature. Preaching is not reserved for the preachers. There are five ministries from behind the pulpit, but all people are preachers. Even the women! Whoa that shocked someone. There are five pulpit ministries, Evangelist, Prophet, Teacher, Apostle, Pastor. Notice there is no title of “preacher”. We are ALL preachers. We preach the gospel by living it and by testifying of it.

Acts 18: 24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

They expounded to him. We are all supposed to testify. We are all supposed to bring the gospel. We are all supposed to go into all the world and tell every soul we meet of Jesus Christ and what he did for us.

That is not to argue doctrine. NO. We are supposed to introduce people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Tell them what he did for you. Tell them how you got saved. Tell them how you got delivered. Tell them how you got healed. Tell them of the signs, wonders and miracles that you have personally witnessed in your life. Do that. For that is our job as Christians. We are sent to be written epistles read of all men. ALL men. Go into the world by the Spirit of the Lord and let the world read Jesus Christ in you.

Do your neighbors know that you are Christians? Do they know the message of the hour? Have you told them about Jesus Christ? Have you testified to them of the signs, wonders and miracles that the Lord Jesus has worked in your life? Have to testified of salvation, of deliverance, of healing?

How about the people you work with? Does your boss know about Jesus Christ? Your customers? Your vendors? The guy who mops the floors? The receptionist? The forklift driver? You have been sent! Did you think you got that job by accident, or because of your qualifications? The Lord gave you that job, and he gave you that specific job for a specific purpose. You have been sent to them. You are an ambassador of Jesus Christ to them. That is your job.

2 Timothy 4: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

Preach the Word! Not just in season, but out of season. Preach it where and when it is accepted and welcomed. Preach it where it is hated and rejected. Preach! Reprove. Rebuke. Exhort.

Finish it! If you dare.

Luke 9: 23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

If it is truly finished for us then we will not be ashamed of him. We will have no problem testifying to everyone we meet. We will look for an in, an opportunity to, any opportunity to talk to everyone about the Lord Jesus Christ. We will express God’s opinion in every conversation, on every topic. We will be ambassadors for the Lord Jesus Christ, for the Kingdom of Heaven. We will plant the seed of God, the Word, by the Spirit. And we will do it all day, every day, with every soul.

Is it finished?

If we are ashamed of him, then it certainly is not finished; not for us.

The work is complete. The price has been paid. There is nothing that the Lord God can do for you today because he has already done everything. The atonement is paid. He cannot heal you because he healed you 2000 years ago. He cannot save you because he saved you two millennia ago. You have already been delivered. Your name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world.

It is finished!

The problem is with us. We need to accept it. That is all we have to do. We need to accept it, to believe it and receive it into ourselves. We need to allow it to be finished. That is what the Lord is waiting for. He is waiting for us to attain perfection; for us to allow ourselves to be made perfect. He is waiting for us.

It is finished!

Let it be finished!

Are you sick? Are you waiting for healing? It is Finished!

Are you suffering from oppression? Do you need deliverance? It is Finished!

Do you have financial issues? Do you have work problems? Do you have family problems? Do you have issues that the world says you cannot overcome? Has the doctor written you off? Asa trusted in the doctors. The woman with the blood issue did the same. Then she heard about Jesus. And when she touched the hem of his garment, it was finished!

Blind Bartemaeus begged for his dinner. But when he heard that Jesus was there, it was finished!

It is Finished!

We have the message! We have the gospel. We have the written Bible. We have the fivefold ministry. We have the gifts. We have the fullness.

But is it finished for us, or are we waiting for more? Is there something missing for us? Do we lack? Is there a need that you have, that you know should be finished, but you cannot realize it in your life? Is there a battle that you cannot overcome? Do you feel overwhelmed?

That is quite a question to ask today. Many will get their fur up when you do. But we need to ask it. The Lord has given us a very specific formula for baptism, as for everything else. We, however, seem to always think we know things better.

Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little the Bible says. We must then take the Word of God and study it to see exactly what it says.

What’s in a name?

Now Jesus did say:

Matthew 28: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

But let us look at it a little closer. Jesus said to baptize in the “NAME” (singular, not names plural). So there is one NAME that is the name of the Father. Father is not a name, it is a title. Son is also a title. Holy Ghost is a description. So what is the one, singular “NAME” that is the Name of the Father and is also the same NAME as the Son, and is also the same NAME as the Holy Ghost?

Peter gives us the revelation of that question here:

Acts 2: 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Here Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, having the keys in his hands tells us quite plainly what the one, singular name is. That “NAME” is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the only Name given where we are to be baptized. If you search the Bible and search church histories and even secular histories, you will not find one single Christian baptized in any other way than in exact accordance to Acts 2:38-39. What’s in a name?

Acts 4: 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.11This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

That is what is in the “Name”. Salvation is in that Name. Salvation is found in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in no other name under heaven. If we reject His Name, then the Lord, obligated to His Word, must then reject us.

Buried in Baptism!

We should also dismiss the idea of sprinkling here as well. Look what the Bible says about baptism.

Romans 6: 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Colossians 2: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

We are to be “buried” in baptism. Full immersion in water! Sprinkling is not burying.

Repent, and be baptized.
Baptism is an adult activity, not for children for Peter clearly states that we are to “repent” and be baptized. How can a child, or especially a baby repent? It cannot. We must first repent. To repent is not just to be sorry, it is to make right the things that you did wrong. If you told a lie, go tell the truth. If you stole something, go give it back. We must repent else we simply to into the water a dry sinner and come out a wet sinner.

Matthew 3: 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

John was not saying this in vain. We MUST first repent, then be baptized in full immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, we will receive the Holy Spirit.

Specifics!

How important is it? How specific must we be?

Proverbs 14: 2There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Traditions! Creeds! Dogmas! Canons!

“Oh but brother we have a long tradition in our church and our pastor says we are doing it right with sprinkles, with babies, with titles. We have a long standing tradition of doctrine and we have some of the fines people in the world at our church” That is fine, but what does God say? What did Jesus say about your traditions?

Mark 7: 6He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

When we reject the Word of God in favour of our traditions, our creeds, our denominations, then we are rejecting Jesus Christ himself.

So what do we do?

Well there was a fellow in the Bible, who in Acts 18 was called a mighty preacher, and he found out that he could not receive the Holy Spirit until he obeyed Acts 2:38-39 to the letter. He was baptized. And he was baptized by John the Baptist. The Lord God, however, would not accept that baptism and he and his congregation all had to be rebaptized.

Acts 19: 1And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. 4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. 7And all the men were about twelve.

Now you know the truth. You now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you need to repent and be baptized in full immersion in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Then you shall receive the Holy Spirit. How vital is it?

Romans 8: 9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Without the proper baptism we have no remission of sins. That means we still carry every single sin and will have to account for them. Without the proper baptism and remission of sins, we cannot receive the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we do not belong to Christ. Without the proper baptism we are simply not yet Christians. And if we do not belong to Christ, then there is only one other that we can belong to be default.

What will you do about it?

Will you humble yourself as Apollos did and obey the Word of God and receive the Holy Spirit? Will you seek out a pastor that will baptize you in the proper Christian baptism of full immersion in the name of Jesus Christ? Will you get remission of your sins? Will you follow the prescription for receiving the Holy Spirit and become a born again, Spirit filled Christian? Will you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord?

These are the notes from a sermon I preached a couple of weeks ago here in St. John’s Newfoundland.

Jesus, The Light of the World

John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

“and the darkness comprehended it not”.

Every Biblical doctrine has its origin in Genesis. So let’s start in Genesis and piece it all together.

Genesis 1:3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Notice here that the Lord brought the light. Then it said he separate the light from the darkness. He divided it. If he had to divide it then light and darkness must have at one time be together. There is a spiritual side to every physical entity. The Lord created light, and then separated it from the darkness. Keep hold of that thought as we proceed.

Every Bible doctrine also has its harvest in Revelation.

Revelation 22: 5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

There is no more darkness in the New Jerusalem. There is no more night. Day and night are used spiritually throughout the Bible in conjunction with light and darkness. In the New Jerusalem there is no darkness whatsoever. God had created light in, and separated light from darkness in Genesis. Then in Revelation we find that darkness was not only separated from the light, it was banished altogether.

While it is true that the Bible speaks of physical light and darkness, we all know that the Bible also speaks in types and shadows, in allegories and metaphors and symbols. The light that the Lord created in the beginning was the light of revelation. Darkness is an absence of revelation, it is unbelief.

1 John 1:5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

The Lord God is light and life and revelation. There is no unbelief, no evil, no darkness in him. He is pure light. Nothing is hidden in light. Satan on the other hand is the prince of darkness. But he was not always that way. He had a much brighter beginning.

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Lucifer was his name. In the Hebrew he was called “helel, the shining one”, the light bearer. Satan was the light bearer. He was God’s right hand man in heaven. God created light, then separated, divided the light from the darkness in Genesis. When the devil decided to make his own kingdom, to usurp the authority of the Lord, then the light was taken from Lucifer, forever. He was darkness, a liar and a murderer from the beginning and the father of it. He was given the most grand opportunity and he rejected it. The darkness in him tried to swallow up the light. The Lord cast him, and his band of demons, into darkness. The light was separated from the darkness. Forever.

Ephesians 5: 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

The light reveals. It exposes. Where the light is shone, the darkness flees. The two can no longer coexist. When there is no light, there will be darkness all around. But when the light shines, the darkness flees. When the light shines, the darkness will try to hide. That is why there are shadows; the darkness cannot face the light and hides. The natural types the spiritual. And the light reveals even that which is in darkness. This is why the devil hates revelation for Holy Ghost revelation does not just manifest the truth, it reveals the lies. The Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus’ day hated him, not because he bore the truth, but because he revealed their lies, their darkness. The very presence of his light exposed their darkness. It is the very same thing today.

When a Christian, born again and filled with the Holy Spirit of God is in the room, their light will expose the darkness of the enemy. Your testimony, your very life, will expose the darkness in the world. Why did Cain kill Abel?

1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

Cain’s works were evil, darkness, but it was not until Abel’s works came that Cain’s were exposed. Cain could not feel comfortable in the presence of Abel. The light that was in Abel through revelation exposed and condemned Cain. Once Cain murdered Abel, he thought the light had been put out. He of course was wrong.

They killed Jesus for the same reason. Why did the denominations hate the prophet? He wasn’t stealing members, he wasn’t taking money from them. He was actually building up their memberships because when he came to town and souls were saved, he sent them to the local churches to fellowship. But the light that was in him, the light of Jesus Christ in the prophet, manifested their darkness. Marvel not my brethren if the world hates you too.

Isaiah 60: 2For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

In our day there is a darkness that covers the earth. And the people will be a gross darkness. The only presence of the Lord upon the earth is in the Bride. The Bride is small, and the world is growing and getting ever darker. Remember that darkness and light cannot coexist anymore? Note too that the world is darkness.

John 14: 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Why can the world not receive the Holy Spirit? The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because darkness and light cannot coexist. In order to receive the Holy Spirit our hearts must be free and clean from the things of the world. If there is any of world in our hearts then we have darkness in our hearts. And if we have any darkness in our hearts, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell there.

1 John 2: 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

If we love the world, “Cosmos” in the Greek. The world is not the earth, it is the “Cosmos”, the culture, the society, the fads, the fashions, the creeds, the politics, the trends, the philosophy, the political correctness etcetera. If we love the world or the things of the world then we have darkness in our hearts, and that darkness will prevent the light. If there is any darkness in us, then by default there is no light. Light and darkness cannot coexist. If we love the world or the things of the world, then the light of the Father is not in us. Let’s look at what the Lord Jesus said about it.

Matthew 6: 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

If we have any darkness in us then our entire being will be full of darkness. If there is darkness then there can be no light at all. So if what we think is light is actually darkness, then that darkness is great indeed. And this is why we have a world full of darkness and gross darkness the people. The church today thinks it is the light of the world, but the Bible says here that it is in gross darkness. There is no light in it at all.

Matthew 7: 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Darkness will produce darkness. Light will produce light. The two cannot coexist. Thus Jesus tells us there that we can tell what is in a person by what comes out of a person. We can tell ourselves by what comes out of us too. That makes perfect sense. If I pour from a bottle and catsup comes out, I am not going to say it is a mustard bottle. That would be insane at best. So then how can we look at a person from whom things come out that are completely contrary to the Word of God, and say that they are spiritual? Or do as the world does and call Christians who are believing and living this message as evil. They call Brother Branham a devil. Shows that they are insane. Shows the level of darkness.

Revelation 3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This letter is directed at the church. Now we read earlier that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Look where Jesus is standing today. Is there any light in the Laodicean Church? Then it is gross darkness. It says plainly that the church is blind. Why is the church blind? There is no light! They are in darkness because they have not cleansed themselves of the world. As long as we allow darkness we prevent the light. But when we accept the light, the message of the hour, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, his glorious light will chase out every shadow of darkness.

Let’s look at the parable of the ten virgins with this idea.

Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Notice here that there are ten virgins. They are all virgins, bride material. They are thus all pure. To be pure our sins must be forgiven. For our sins to be forgiven, according to the Bible, we must repent and be baptized in full immersion in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So who are these ten virgins? Message people. The denominations cast off the message, along with the proper baptism.

But there are two distinct groups here. One has oil and the other does not. One half of this group of virgins is filled with the Holy Spirit, the other half is not. Five of them are holy, five are justified and sanctified, but not holy.

They all have lamps, which the prophet told us is a testimony. The lamps are lit. Well that means there is light. There is revelation. There is an anointing. But remember where the fire is burning. It is on the outside of the lamp, not on the inside. The light here is external. It is an anointing. The rain falls on the good ground and bad. The sun shines on the wheat and tares. The anointing of the Holy Spirit falls equally on all. The prophet showed us that throughout the Bible as being so. Remember even Judas came back rejoicing that he had cast out devils, and he himself a serpent seed devil. The anointing fell upon him in the same way it fell upon Peter to whom Jesus gave the keys.

So they all had the revelation and an external anointing from the Light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember we just read in John 14 that Jesus told us the Holy Spirit would dwell with us (the anointing), and (conjunction) shall be in us (filling). They are two separate manifestations. In one manifestation he dwells with us and anoints us and draws us to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the second part of the manifestation he indwells us after that he has justified and sanctified us. He draws us to the light, casts out our darkness, then he lights us from within.

They all had the message of the hour. But five did not go on to receive the Holy Spirit. They had no oil. And when the revival era ended, they realized that the light was external. They realized that they had an anointing but no filling. They realized that they were in pitch darkness. They didn’t even know where to look for oil for the light had gone out. Revelation had ceased. So they turned to their brothers and sisters in search of the filling, but it was too late.

Five however had light on the outside, and light on the inside. The oil was the source of the light. It was the oil that was burning. The Holy Spirit is what was giving the light of that revival era. Those that are full of oil are the true light of this world for they are Jesus Christ in human flesh. They are the Bride.

But if we don’t rid ourselves of worldliness. If we don’t separate ourselves from the things of the world, then we will have darkness in our hearts, we will be empty of oil, and living off the outward anointing. There are many types of worldliness. There is the music, the fashion, the culture, and even religion. Religion is the worst. Remember in the last days the lie would be so close to the truth as to deceive the very elect if it were possible. You won’t be fooled by rock and roll. You won’t be fooled by mini-skirts. The devil won’t come to you with a horse tail and a pitch fork. He will come to us with a message tract in one hand and the Bible in another. But he won’t live it! AMEN! There is no light in him to live it with.

Now how does this all manifest in life? Let’s look at Abraham for an example.

Abraham had a nephew named Lot. The Lord came to Abraham and told him all that he was doing. Three messengers came to Abraham. One stayed with him, and the other two went down into Sodom to preach to Lot.

Abraham knew of his messenger. He also know of Lot’s messengers. Lot knew nothing of the messenger that was sent to Abraham alone. Did you catch that Bride?

William Branham was sent to the Bride. Oral Roberts and Billy Graham were sent to Sodom. We were told all about that. But the world, the denominational churches were told nothing of William Branham. Notice the prophet spoke of the other two on many occasions, yet you never hear the other two speak of the prophet. The light of the message is only for the Bride. The world is a darkness and the people a gross darkness, but the Bride is a different seed.

1 Thessalonians 5: 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

We are the children of the day. You are the children of the day. We are surrounded by light. Day and night remember were divided by the Lord in Genesis. Thus the children of the day are also divided from the children of the night. It is the light that is in us through the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, through the message of the hour that divides us from them. We don’t leave people, we don’t shun people, they shun us. And the light, the message, is divided from the dogmas and creeds. The Bride is divided from the denominations. The wheat shall not be heir with the shuck. The children of the promise shall not be heir with the children of the bond woman.

2 Corinthians 6: 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

There it is! What communion hath light and darkness? NONE! The Lord divided the light from the darkness way, way back in the beginning. You are the temple of God. Not this building. This building will burn one day with the rest of the world. The temple of God is the people. Each of us is a “lively stone”, the Bible says, fit together to from the temple of the Living God. You are the temple of God and you have no communion with idols. You are the light and not the darkness. You are Mrs. Jesus Christ.

In Israel in the days of the Old Testament, there was a party held every fifty years called the jubilee. At the jubilee the trumpet was blown and when you heard that as a slave you could walk free. If, however, for some reason that totally escapes me, you liked being a slave you could refuse and then your ear was pierced and you would be a slave for eternity.

2 Thessalonians 2: 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

After the crucifixion, fifty days after, our jubilee trumpet was sounded at Pentecost. Today the message of the hour sounds clear in each age. Those who receive that message walk free forever. Those who reject that message are taken to the post and their ear is pierced by the devil and they will never hear that trumpet call again. They will receive a strong delusion that they will believe a lie. They wilfully reject Jesus Christ, they become willful sinners.

And the world is a darkness and gross darkness the people. When we reject the light, darkness overtakes us. When we turn from the light, we turn to darkness. When we close our eyes to the light, we become blind. The Laodicea Church was sent the brightest light in all history. We have the privilege of knowing more than the prophets did, for the things that we were told were hidden mysteries to them, sealed unto the end of the world. We are privileged in this day to have the greatest light in all history, yet today we have the darkest world in all history as well. The light is truly divided from the darkness.

2 Corinthians 4: 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The light is hidden to the darkness. The light shines and the darkness comprehended it not. When the light shines, the world rejects it, and the “god of this world”, satan, blinds the minds of the people. He shuts them down so they will never receive revelation. He fills their hearts and minds with darkness, and once the light is blocked out, the darkness becomes a gross darkness.

Many people have predestination backwards. The Lord offers salvation to all, but to those who reject it, the devil blinds them to it. It is the devil that condemns us, through our own foolishness. Don’t ever blame the Lord. He even came to Cain personally and spoke lip to ear to him and Cain still rejected the light. Then satan marked him. Satan blinded him. Satan pierced his ear. That my brothers and sisters is the mark of the beast. It ain’t no tattoo as they believed 50 years ago, it ain’t no credit card like they believed 25 years ago, it ain’t no computer chip implant as they believe today. The mark of the beast began in Eden and is already here today. And today there are literally hundreds of millions of people who have received the mark of the beast and don’t even know it.

It is mind boggling that people will think they are Christians, think that they are serving God, and all the while worshiping the devil. Without light though, it is impossible to see. The darkness is a spiritual blindness. It renders the person incapable of telling right from wrong. It makes it impossible for the person to know the truth from a lie. And they will swallow up the lie because it pleases their flesh. It makes logical sense to them. Light is revelation and without revelation, we simply cannot understand the most basic things of the Lord.

The example I like to use is baptism. Why? Because it is one of the first things that the Lord will reveal to you. It is written in black and white and requires no “interpretation” of any kind. You simply read it. Yet when you bring Acts 2:38 to a denominational church goer, they don’t understand it. They simply cannot. If we cannot understand something written so plainly, then what hope do we have to understand the deep things of God? The darkness is gross indeed.

The seal of God is the Holy Spirit. The seal of God is light. The mark of the beast is perpetual darkness.

Ephesians 5: 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Darkness. Doubt. Unbelief. We were all in darkness before the light was shone to us. When we saw the light, we rejoiced and received it. We received it as an anointing that led us to the source of the light, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. We received it as an indwelling after that the light cleansed us from our darkness. The light cast out the darkness, separated us from the darkness. Be careful to avoid the darkness.

Remember how the Bible likens Jesus to the sun and the Bride to the moon. He is the source of the light. We reflect his light onto the earth in the night time. The night is the darkness that covers the earth, in which time we are. The Lord separates, divides the light from the darkness. The darkness reject the light.

Did you ever hear of sun spots? They are large black spots on the surface of the sun. They block the light at the source. The church is suffering from sin spots today. We have let the bars down and let worldliness into our ranks. A little here and a little there. A little clear nail polish. A little professional sports maybe. A Christmas tree. A thing that the Bible clearly forbids and calls a heathen idol and we will have the gall to put one up in church next to the altar! Sin spots! How can the light of Christ shine through that? Clean it out! Get rid of that Babylonian garment and that wedge of silver. Clean the camp Saints. It’s lamp trimming time. Make sure you don’t have any black sin spots between you and the Lord.

Sin spots. The light shines to us. The Word shines and says “by my stripes you are healed”, and a sin spot jumps up and says “oh but this is a rare cancer”. The light says we shall have prophecy, then the sin spot steps in the way and says “that was only for the prophet”. The light shines and says “you are forgiven” and the darkness jumps in and says “but what I did was soooo bad”. Sin spots. Unbelief. Get rid of it. The Bible says “resist the devil and he shall flee from you”. Don’t let those sin spots block out the light.

Matthew 13: 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory walking through a town in Israel. The very Lord God of heaven and earth standing there in flesh before them and he could not work any miracles. The brightest light that ever was stood there shining before them and their hearts were so dark that the light could not shine to them. The light was shining and their sin spots blocked it out.

People wonder why there are no miracles in the churches. This is why. Darkness is getting in the way. The darkness is blocking the light. The churches have pushed the light out and wonder why the light is not working. There is darkness in the preachers. Blind leaders of the blind. There is darkness in the benches. So they make excuses for the fact that the Lord is not with them. They have rejected the light. They are heady, high-minded lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the very power thereof. They are extremely religious yet blindly walking in total, absolute, darkness.

They think they are worshiping the Lord God, and yet don’t even know who, or what, he is. Trinity? They don’t even know what the Lord God is, let alone who. Darkness!

We are so privileged that the Lord has opened our eyes to the light, else each and every one of us would be exactly the same. We are as we are because the Lord has revealed the truth to us, and given us open eyes and believing hearts to receive it. We are saved by grace.

Mark 4: 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Unto you, and to you alone, Saints of God, by the grace and mercy of the Almighty Lord God Jehovah, it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. To you and to you alone has the Holy Spirit revealed the nature and identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. You alone have been given the understanding of the godhead through spiritual revelation. No man has revealed it u nto you, but the Father in heaven has revealed it unto you.

Unto you, Mrs. Jesus Christ it is given the message of the hour. It is not for the world. They as Lot, as the men of Sodom, were never even to know about it. Melchesedic never visited Sodom, never visited Lot. Unto you, Saints, is given revelation. It is completely hidden to the world. It is hidden to the denominations. Yet with revelation alone comes salvation. For unto you is given light in the darkness. That light will divide you out of the world. That light will separate you from your church, your religion, your philosophy, your family, your politics, your traditions, your creeds, your cultures, and all your other darkness.

The world will never receive revelation. The serpent seed will never receive revelation. The world will remain wilfully blind to the light and the god of this world, the devil, will seal them with the mark of the beast. A darkness is covering the whole world, and a gross darkness the people.

There was darkness upon the earth in Genesis when the Lord started his work. There was a darkness when light was created. That same darkness has returned as the light is about to go out upon this earth. Brothers and sisters when we leave this world in the rapture there will be absolute darkness on the earth. There will be no presence of the Lord God whatsoever upon this earth outside of Israel. It will be a total, complete blackout. Today we are the light of the world, and the Holy Spirit of God in us is the source of that light. Walk in the light! Be that light to others.

The Bible tells us clearly that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. The message of the hour is the revelation of the Word of God. The message of the hour is the light of the word. The Holy Spirit is the source of that light, it is the oil in the lamps of our hearts. It is the Spirit and the Life in the Word. Make sure your lamp is full and don’t let any sin spots rise up to block your light.

There was darkness. Then the Lord said let there be light. Then the Lord separated the light from the darkness. In the end, the darkness will be banished and there will only be light.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not.

Luke 24: 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word. Did not our hearts burn within us? As a quick background for those who are not familiar, and a reminder for those who are, Jesus had bled, suffered and died on the cross to purchase our salvation, and his disciples were scattered. To their knowledge, he had not yet risen. Two of his disciples left Jerusalem and were heading home and discussing amongst themselves the events that just transpired. They were quite forlorn because they believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but were of the belief, as many were in that time, that Jesus was just coming as a great King to destroy Rome and place Israel in command of the world. Jesus was speaking with these two disciples, expounding the scriptures to them to show them that everything that Jesus suffered and every event that happened to him were prophesied throughout the scriptures. While he was speaking the word of God, their hearts were burning within them.

Do you remember the first time you heard the revealed word of God preached? Do you remember the first time you listened to a message tape? Do you remember the first time someone testified to you about Jesus Christ and of the miracles, signs and wonders that they have experienced? Did your heart burn in you? Is it still burning right now? I’m going to be asking a lot of questions like that today. And I want you to be completely honest with yourself.

There is more than one way for our hearts to burn. We can burn with desire, or with condemnation. When we hear the word of God spoken through the Spirit of God, our hears will burn. One way or the other, we will burn.

Hebrews 12:29For our God is a consuming fire.

Our God is a consuming fire! If our hearts will burn with desire for the word of God then that word will burn out all the sin from within us. The word will burn out our lust, our bitterness, our carnality. But if we reject that word then that same fire will consume us completely. The Word of the Lord God Jehovah will burn up the sin from the face of this earth so if we hold onto our sin then we will be consumed along with it.

Isaiah the prophet was given a vision?

Isaiah 6: 5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the Seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Isaiah the prophet realized that there was nothing good in him. He was a man like we are. He was carnal and dwelling in a body of sinful flesh. When he met the Word of the Lord God his heart burned within him. The light of the word revealed to him that he needed cleansing. He cried out to God and the seraphim touched him with a fiery coal from the altar and purged his sin and iniquity.

This revealed word of God for the hour will wash away your sin right now if you will let it. It is up to you, and up to me. If we will cry out to the Lord God for a cleansing he will send his Holy Spirit to burn out every evil thing, every sin, every iniquity from within us. Do you believe it? Act on it! He will purge your heart and soul of every sin and stain. You will be sanctified by the Lord God if you will only allow it to happen. If ywe will receive the word of God it will set us completely free this morning.

Ephesians 5:26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

We are cleansed by washing of water of the word. It is not anything we do, or anything we say. Our righteousness is filthy rags before the Lord. As we sit here reading the word of God, not my words, but God’s word, it washes you. Did you know that? You can listen to a man’s word all day and it will either do nothing or make your worse, but when you listen to the word of God you are listening to a living word, a powerful word, an overcoming word. As you hear and receive the word of the Lord God, it will wash you, cleanse you, set you free, give you faith and take away every spot and wrinkle from you. The Word of God, remember, is Jesus Christ. The word of God cleanses you! Hearing this word makes you clean. Receiving God’s word, is receiving Jesus Christ, and prepares you for the rapture! But it will only make you clean if your heart burns for it!

We have very few people today that burn for the Lord. Nobody is on fire for Christ anymore. We have waxed cold. We have become complacent. We are at the last of the seven church ages, the Laodician age. The Bible tells us that the Laodician church is lukewarm. The Bible tells us in Isaiah that the world is darkness and the people gross darkness. There is a light in the world, and Jesus Christ is that light, but the world has rejected him. We find in the book of Revelation that the church has too. And the Lord God hates it. How many know that scripture?

Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

This is not the world he is speaking to. This is not the denominations he is speaking to. They are the ones in gross darkness. He is speaking to the church! He is addressing the called out ones. This warning is for the “message” people! The believers are lukewarm today! We have been sent a message from God with signs wonders and miracles through a vindicated prophet to prepare a bride for the rapture, and we have become lukewarm about it! We are becoming the foolish virgins. We barely have our lamps lit today. When was the last time you testified to a stranger about Jesus Christ? When was the last time you invited someone to come here to church and hear the word of God? When was the last time you praised God with all the volume your voice can muster?

We barely have time to come to church ourselves anymore let alone inviting other people. We are too busy with work, or this or that or ten million other reasons to skip church. We come less and less and when we actually do come we sleep more! Is your heart burning inside you? Do you think those two on the road to Emmaus fell asleep while Jesus was talking to them? They walked all day to Emmaus, stopped for dinner and when the recognized who Jesus was, they didn’t even finish dinner. They immediately got up and ran back to Jerusalem. I looked it up, and it was over 19 miles each way. They walked all day nearly 20 miles, stopped for a bite, and then quickly got up and walked another 20 miles all night to get back. Did their hearts burn in them? Do our hearts burn?

Today we don’t have the energy to drive back to church in the evening after we finish our lunch. We don’t have time to come on Wednesdays. We don’t have time to read our Bibles. We don’t have time to pray. We don’t have time to wait on God. We don’t have time to testify. We don’t have time to fellowship with the Saints.

How can we expect to be raptured when we don’t have time to be raptured? If the rapture comes Sunday morning during regular church service and we could not be bothered to come to church that morning, ask yourself where you will be. No time to come to the house of God. No time for Jesus. Will Jesus have time for us? God said he will spew us out of his mouth.

Get of fire for God! We haven’t got enough spark left to say amen in church. Where is our fire? What is going on in our hearts?

It’s lamp trimming time. And if you have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, now is the time. Not five minutes from now, not next week, not on Sunday. NOW! Five minutes from now could very well be too late. Verily some will read this after it is too late. Think about that. Have you not been watching the signs of the times? Pressure is building and Los Angeles is getting ready to sink. The economy is in a titter ready to collapse. Russia has made a move for oil. Iran is building an atomic bomb. Every country able is going nuclear. Israel is surrounded. Everything is in place for the end of the end and the church is complacent.

We must see ourselves in the word. It is our spiritual mirror. Looking into the word of God will show us exactly where we stand with the Lord God. Where do you see yourself this morning? Is it where you want to be? The Lord Jesus Christ can change it for you in a moment if you will let him. Do you want fire in your heart? Cry out for it and you will get it.

Matthew 13:18Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that hears the word, and anon with joy receives it; 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but endures for a while: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Can you see yourself in this parable? It all depends on the condition of our hearts when we hear the word. Look at the two men heading to Emmaus. Can you see them in this parable? They surely were the good ground for the word sprang up in them and they bore fruit unto it. You and I are in this parable, as is every man, woman and child on earth. Where do you identify in it? Which ground is your heart?

If your heart is cold this morning, your thoughts are not on the word or you just don’t like what you are reading, then you will straightway forget what you read. You will get nothing out of reading this. If someone asks you what I wrote on when you get outside, you probably won’t be able to answer. It can happen that quickly. I’ve seen it. I have sat through a hour and a half of wonderful preaching and when we got outside the church I asked a man what was preached, what the scriptures were, what the topic was and he could not answer a single question. The devil stole the word out of his mind before he made it to the door. Yet let me tell you something brothers and sisters, that man will be called on to answer for every word that he heard. Our God is a consuming fire.

If your heart burns for the riches of the world then those riches will choke out the word from you. You will be afraid to trust in God, to trust in his word, to trust in anything but vain riches. You will not have a testimony for fear that standing upon the word of God and having a public testimony will cost you money or popularity. Your job will be more valuable to you than the Word of God.

If your heart is just smoldering a little, then you will hear the word while you are here among other Christians, but once you get out into the cold world, you will not have the strength to stand on that word. You will be a wandering star, a cloud without water tossed by every wind and wave of doctrine. When you are with the Baptists you will be a Baptist. When you are with the Pentecostals you will be a Pentecostal. When you are with the message people you will be a message believer. When you are with the drunks, you will get drunk. Smoldering and lukewarm and good for nothing but to be a stumbling block to others.

But if we can get our hearts set of fire for God. Oh what a difference that will be! We will bring forth fruit 30 fold, 60 fold, 100 fold. Get the fire of the Lord God burning inside of you! Fire burns on oil, and oil is the Holy Spirit. Remember the 10 virgins. They all had lamps but the fire went out on the foolish virgins. The reason that the foolish virgins have no fire is that they have no oil. They have a lamp and that lamp did once burn. But the oil they were burning was an anointing, not a filling. We can be anointed by the Spirit of God, and not filled for the rain will fall on the weeds as well as the wheat.

Matthew 25:1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

Our lamps have gone out! I am speaking to the Saints of God. The born again Christians have lamps, testimonies. Too many repented and were baptized but never went on to get filled. Why? They were lied to. They were told it is enough to get baptized, it is enough to believe the message. But what did the prophet tell us? We have to LIVE the message. And now we have no fire! They started to beg of others for the Holy Spirit but it was too late for them. They are saved. They are sinless. They will receive eternal life, but they missed out. They were called but not chosen. By the time they got enough spark in them to seek the oil the rapture had come and gone. Don’t miss it! If you are not burning on fire right now then cry out to God right now for oil so that your heart can be set on fire for Christ. We need a revival. Each and every one of us needs a Holy Ghost revival!

Did you ever wonder how the foolish virgins got lukewarm, how the church got lukewarm? There must be a reason. Something must have made it that way.

Many false prophets arise and iniquity abounds and the love, the fire, goes cold. First the false prophets, the false teachers, the ones the Bible says have itching ears, come and bring damnable heresies and that leads the people away from the word into a life of iniquity. They compromise on the Word, make excuses for human errors, explain away scriptures and squeeze the blood out of the Word. They do wrong according to the Bible, they explain it away, and do not care anymore. We have it in the message too. We have preachers telling everyone that they are just fine and ready for the rapture and it has driven the fire from the hearts of the people. We are not fine! We are in a most miserable state indeed if we think we are fine. Paul said to work out your salvation with fear and trembling! That takes fire!

If you are working out your salvation with fear and trembling this morning then you will be hanging on every word I wrote hoping to hear an anointed message from the Holy Spirit that will bring you one more step closer to Christ. If you have already waxed cold from iniquity then you will be checking your watch hoping I finish soon so you can go somewhere else. Or maybe that person has already shut down their computer long ago or started surfing the net for other things.

But how did we let it happen? It is our fault. We let it happen. We were warned thousands of years ago and here it is happening. The scripture is being fulfilled in your very midst. How did we let the false prophets in? How did we as an anointed, called out people, allow such coldness into our lives? We took our eyes off the Word and put them on idols!

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

We stopped looking to the word and started looking to man. We stopped laying up treasures in heaven and started laying up treasures on earth. We stopped looking at the message and started to look to the messenger. We have stopped preaching the message and started quoting it instead. We don’t preach the message, we just print books and quote books. To top it off we are getting rich in the process. Preachers making hundreds of thousands of dollars and driving expensive European luxury cars when the prophet they point to refused to take a Cadillac as a gift.

That spirit has caught the people too. Continually skipping church to go make money. Turning church into money. When they actually go to church it is so that they can do business with the people there and make more money. Defrauding the people and stealing from them and calling themselves Christians. Selling products out of the church. It is all corrupt. Soon they will start selling indulgences too. You cannot serve God and mammon. Where is your treasure? Where is your heart? Where is your eye?

We just read it. Where are you looking? Whatever you are looking for, there is your eye, there is your treasure and there is your heart. If we are looking to Christ then we are looking to the light and our eyes will be full of light and our hearts will be full of fire. If we are looking to riches of this world, whether it be money, status, politics, popularity or a modern ecumenical move in the guise of the message, then we are looking to darkness. The Bible says that the world is a darkness and the people a gross darkness. Where are you looking? Are we laying up treasures in heaven? Is there still light in your eye or are we a gross darkness?

2 Kings 5:21So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? 22And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. 23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. 24And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. 25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. 26And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

Gehazi had his eye on money, on fancy garments, on oliveyards, on vineyards, on sheep, on oxen, on servants. Gehazi’s was with the prophet. He was not an unbeliever. He was not even a denominational Christian. He was in the message of the hour. Gehazi had his eye on earthly treasures instead of heavenly treasures and he reaped the reward; leprosy. Sin. Leprosy clung to him and to his entire seed forever. He was with the prophet, he heard the message, he saw the miracles, he preached the message, yet he had his eye on earthly treasures and received the reward of his iniquity forever.

Knowing the message won’t save you. Gehazi knew the message. Knowing the prophet won’t help you. Gehazi knew the prophet. He even lived with the prophet. If our heart is on earthly things then as the seed that fell among the thorns we will be choked out and our fire will go out and we will be left in total darkness. Gehazi had the message indeed, and he tried to use that message to build for himself an earthly kingdom, an earthly organization of goods and moneys and servants. He turned the grace of God into lasciviousness.

We have that in the message today too. We have Gehazis in the message today, men who were with the prophet who are now turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, quoting the message, calling on the name of the prophet and getting rich and building earthly kingdoms for themselves. God does not change. What he said then is true today. They shall reap the same reward in their day of judgment as Gehazi did in his. Their sin will cling to them and their seed forever.

So where is our treasure this morning? Search yourselves. Search your lives and you will know. Anything and everything that we put before the word of God is an idol.

Luke 18:22Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

This man lived according to the law keeping the commandments. His life was so righteous it would shame most of us today. He had one problem however, his treasure was earthly. There was something that was more important to him than the Lord God. There was something in his life that he valued higher than he valued the Lord Jesus Christ. He had an idol! He could not part with his earthly treasures and he ended up in hell. His treasure was corrupt, his eye was corrupt and thus his heart was corrupt. He heart was not on fire for the Lord or his Word. The word of God to him was a consuming fire. The word of God condemned him, and instead of repenting, he rejected it. We need to be sanctified. God cannot dwell in an unclean vessel.

If we have any idols in our hearts we are not worshipping God. There are many, many idols and it only takes one idol to displace God in our hearts. We went through a few already. Money, power, popularity, dogmas, creeds, denominations, organizations, publications, and even other people can be idols. Anything that we allow to come before the Lord God in our hearts is an idol. No matter how much we pray, how much we sing, how much we go to church, how much we shout, how many tapes we listen to, how high we lift our hands, how pious our lives look, if we have idols in our hearts then we are not worshipping God. Jesus said that a true worshipper must worship God in Spirit and in truth. The word of God is the truth.

A Christmas tree for example is an idol. The Bible is the Word of God and it says do not do it and then we go and do it anyway. We put that tree before God’s word. We make that piece of wood into an idol. Let’s read that scripture to remove all doubt.

Jeremiah 10:2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Today we have message people with Christmas trees thinking they are just fine because they give homage to a prophet and his message. It is an idol, it is contrary to the word of God and if you do it you are making an idol out of that tree. The very moment we decide that we are going to have a tree, we are in idolatry. Sin is an affair of the heart. And knowing better it is iniquity on their part and we heard earlier that it is because of iniquity that we grow cold. Can you see it? You let one little thing like this get in and displace the Word of God and it will poison your whole life. We let private creeds and dogmas take over in our lives and pretty soon we are in complete darkness. Look at Israel. How often did they let one little thing in and it poisoned the whole nation and led them off into idolatry.

We have things creeping in everywhere now. Christmas trees, makeup, remarriage. Remarriage in the message! The prophet refused to go to his own son’s wedding because it was a remarriage. Let’s put that to rest right now.

Luke 16:18Whosoever puts away his wife, and marries another, commits adultery: and whosoever marries her that is put away from her husband commits adultery.

Those aren’t my words, those are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. If you divorce your wife and remarry another woman then you are committing adultery. If you marry a divorced woman you are committing adultery. If you are divorced and you get “married”, you are committing adultery. If you marry a divorced man, you are committing adultery. Period! Someone not too long ago said that can’t be right because that would be too cruel and not fair to the people. Read Ezra chapter nine.

Jesus warned us that a little leaven will leaven the whole lump. He warned the Pharisees in Mark 7:13 that they have made the word of God none effect by teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. It is a poison! We often hear that it is better to have the right spirit and a wrong doctrine that the right doctrine and the wrong spirit. We of course hear that most from those with the wrong doctrine as an excuse for rejecting the Word of God.

Let me assure you that if you have the right spirit you won’t have the wrong doctrine for very long. When you hear the revealed word of God the Spirit of God in you will shout AMEN! If your heart is on fire for Christ then when you hear the Word of God that fire will flare up. The two on their way to Emmaus had a wrong doctrine, but when Jesus expounded the true doctrine to them, their hearts burned within them as they heard it. Read “Restoration of the Bride Tree, 1962”.

When the Pharisees heard Jesus they called him a devil. When the little girl at the well heard him she called him a prophet. Her heart was on fire! There was a spark of God put in her heart from the foundation of the world. When that spark caught the light of the gospel is set ablaze. She was looking for a living water that would satisfy her forever. That was her treasure. When she came in contact with the light she saw it immediately. She did not need to be convinced of if. Her eyes were opened and when that light shone, it had access to her heart. The Pharisees had their eyes closed. They were blinded by their own greed, and pride and lust for power.

When you first heard the revealed word of God for the hour, how did your heart react? Your presence here this morning tells me that something was lit aflame in your heart. Where is that flame today? Are you choking it out with false doctrines? Are you choking it out with the cares of the world? Are you choking it out with money lust? Or are you feeding the fire with the word of God? Feed that fire this morning. Set yourself aflame for Christ. Let the word of God burn the dross from you. Do not quench the Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit of the Lord God Jehovah work in you. Allow the fire of the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ burn in you.

The Bible likens us to metal being purified in the fire. When a silver smith wants to purify metal he puts it in the fire to heat it up. Then he hammers the metal and folds it over. Then he repeats the process over and over, hammering the metal and placing it in the fire. He knows the metal is pure when he can see his reflection in it. Jesus tries us in the fire, he folds us and hammers us with life and places us back in the fire to burn out all our dross, all our sin, all our iniquity until he can see his own reflection in our characters.

What are you reflecting right now? What is in your heart? Is your heart burning within you as you hear the Word of God? Is the Word of God burning out your dross? Let this blessed Word of God into your heart this morning and let it burn out all of your sin and iniquity, all your doubts and fears, everything of the world. This word you are reading this morning can prepare you for the rapture if you will let it.

It all depends on where your eye is. If it is on Christ right now, and on his word, that word will be doing a work on you, cleaning you, sanctifying you, washing you, filling you, folding you, until Jesus can see his own reflection in your character. If you are looking to Christ this morning, your treasure is in heaven and it is growing moment by moment as Jesus is transforming you into his very image. He is preparing you to dwell with him forever. He is preparing you to sit in his throne with him to rule forever. He is making you fit to dwell in a perfect body as his heavenly bride. He is the King of Heaven and He wants to make you his queen.

Are you happy? God left his throne in glory to come down to take upon a body just like yours. He lived, ate, slept, worked just like you do. The Lord God, creator of heaven and earth, veiled himself in a human body. He came not only to take our sin and pay the price that we could be free from sin, he also came to be a perfect example to us. He is the example of how to live, how to love, how to worship, how to believe, how to obey, how to overcome, how to speak and even how to think. He is the example for this whole world of how to live every moment of every day of our lives. He is the light of the world and it is our job to reflect that light to others through our lives. If our hearts burn within us for the Lord then his light will shine through that fire.

He has given us his word. He has revealed to us his word. He has opened the fountain deep and wide to wash away our sins with his own blood. He wants us to build treasures in heaven with him. He wants our hearts to be on fire for him. If our treasure is in heaven then we will be on fire for Christ. If our treasure is on earth then we will be lukewarm church goers.

Look at sports. Look at a soccer game. They scream at the top of their voices and jump up and down and raise their hands and dance when someone kicks a little round ball into a very large net. We have been handed eternal life, salvation, healing, and deliverance free of charge and we can barely sit and keep our eyes open for an hour. God came and lived and died for us and rose again and we can barely be heard when we pray and worship him. Where is the fire? Where is your treasure?

We have it all. We truly have it all. We are heirs to the entire planet. We are heirs to eternal life. We are heirs to reign with him in glory forever. What a glorious treasure he has given us by his grace. None of us deserve it but he has granted it to us anyway. Rejoice and again I say rejoice. We have an earnest of our inheritance right here in this life. We have divine healing! We have prophesy! We have deliverance! We have signs and wonders! We have the very God of heaven, the pillar of fire, right here in our midst! Jesus Christ himself is standing here in the pillar of fire waiting for us to ask of him that he may give us all that our hearts desire.

He is more willing to give then we are to receive. Get of fire for Christ!

The fire of the Lord Jesus Christ burning in my soul! Let it burn in yours.

As Christians we are all zealous to spread the word of God. We want to share this wonderful gift with the whole world. We want everyone to benefit as we have. We want them to experience healing, deliverance, salvation. We want the Lord to work in their lives in signs, wonders and miracles as he does in ours. And we want the devil destroyed, and his works destroyed along with him.

The new birth is like the physical birth. Water, blood and spirit in proper order. When a physical baby is born, first the water breaks, then comes the blood, then the life of the baby. It is the same with the new birth, the spiritual birth. We become Christians only through the new birth. We cannot join Christianity, we must be born into it. For verily the Lord Jesus told us that except we be born again we shall in no wise see the kingdom of God.

First comes the water, the justification. As Ezekiel words it, our heart of stone is removed and we are given a heart of flesh. We are sinners, lost, strangers and foreigners, alienated from the kingdom of the Lord God. We are blind and in total darkness. Then the Lord Jesus justifies us. The Holy Spirit speaks to our heart through the revealed word of God. He is the one who reveals it to us. Someone brings us the word and the Holy Spirit makes it real, opens our eyes to the light, and witnesses to our heats that it is the absolute, unerring truth. We are convicted. We repent and get baptized in full immersion in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins as we are commanded in Acts 2:38. We are now cleansed of our sin. Cleansed of ALL sin. In the eyes of God we are perfected. When he looks upon us he sees only the blood of Jesus Christ covering us. We are now guiltles for we have entered into the blood covenant of Jesus Christ.

But that is not enough. It is a start, and a good one, but we need to push out into the deep. We now need the blood applied to our life. We need to apply the blood to every aspect of our beings. The blood sanctifies us, delivers us from all evil, all iniquity, all sinfullness. It frees us and separates us from the world. It overcomes our flesh. Our flesh will remain sinfull until the rapture, but now our hearts hate the sin that we used to revel in. Sanctification makes us pure. Sanctification sets us apart for service.

Then Acts 2:39 can be fulfilled. We are filled with the Holy Spirit in the baptism of fire. Now the very God of heaven dwells inside of us. Our life is over and we live, not by our life, but by his life. We are branches grafted into the vine of Jesus Christ; his life sustains us and we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Are we done? NO! We have only begun. We are born again, babies. Now we must grow to the adoption where the Lord God places us as sons and daughters.

When dealing with people we need to look at where they are on this path. Are they even on this path yet? We need to tailor our message to them personally. We need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit so that He can tell us what to say and when.

To the sinner we speak of sin and righteousness and the salvatin of Jesus Christ. It is very black and white and we are duty bound to keep it as straight as possible. Greyness is of the devil. It is either good, or bad. There is nothing in between. Can a river give good water and bitter water at the same time?

To the justified we speak of the deliverance and overcoming power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We share our testimonies. We pray with them. We teach them. To the Holy we speak of the deeper spiritual things. To the Holy, the new born seed, we uncover the message of the hour. To the holy we speak of deep truths.

The Mark of the Beast from a Biblical perspective

There was a time they thought the mark of the beast was a brand, like on cattle. Then they thought it was a tattoo. Some supposed it might be your Social Security Number, others a credit card. Now some think it is a computer chip. But what does the word of God say?

The name and number of the man

Revelation 13: 16And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

First let me preface with the thought that every true doctrine of scripture can find its root in Genesis and it harvest in Revelation. These are the two most important books in the Bible because they anchor every single idea. If we cannot find the root in Genesis and the fruit in Revelation, then there is something wrong with our idea and we must go back and start over.

As such the “mark of the beast” must also be found in both Genesis and Revelation.

Next we have to understand that only the Lord God can create. The Bible calls him “the” great creator, not “a” great creator. So if only the Lord can create, then everything that the devil has must be a perversion of something that the Lord God had already created. For example a lie is simply a perversion of the truth. Adultery is a perversion of a righteous act between a man and his wife. Theft is a perversion of righteous ownership. Sickness is a perversion of health and death merely a perversion of life.

The “mark of the beast’ must therefore be a perversion of a mark or seal that God first created. To understand the mark of the beast, we must first find the mark of the Lord.

Ezekiel 9: 3And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Here we see the angel of the Lord passing through the city of believers and marking them upon their foreheads. Notice the devil’s mark is on the forehead too for he must copy God, but in a perverted manner.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Let us immediately dispense with the idea that “sealed” and “mark” are different. The original Greek word that we translated into sealed is “sphragizo” which means “to put a mark on an object to show possession, authority, identity, or security” (Strong’s Strongest Concordance). The “seal” of God is the “Mark” of the Lord to show possession by the Holy Spirit. This is why the Bible says in

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

The Seal of the Lord is the “Mark of God” which shows the owner ship and possession of the Lord upon us.

The “Mark of the Beast” therefore shows the ownership of Satan upon people as well.

Here I have to get into the meat. This will be hard from some to take, but it is the Word of God. We are all owned. We all have a master. We are all servants (Doulos [Greek] slaves) to a spiritual master. That master lives in our hearts. We now can easily identify who our master is; our master is the one we yield ourselves to obey. If we are yielded to the Word of God, then the Lord is our master. If we are yielded to the world, to the flesh, to sin, then Satan is our master, and we are his willing slaves.

The Bible tells us what that seal of God is. We are sealed, marked, with the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the seal, or mark, of the Lord God. Here is a second scripture to cement that idea.

Ephesians 1: 3 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Now that we understand what the “Mark of God” is, let us look at how it is applied.

Acts 2: 1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The pillar of fire came into their presence split apart and rested upon the foreheads of all that were present. The Lord God sealed them by placing his mark, the “Mark of the Lord God” upon the foreheads of the people. Remember in Ezekiel he sent the angel to mark them upon their foreheads as well. And now when we look into Revelation we see the “mark of the beast” upon the forehead, we understand why. Let us take one more scripture to seal this idea for us.

Revelation 7: 2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

There should be no doubt now. The “Mark of the Lord” is the sealing of the person with the Holy Spirit, which signifies the ownership of the Lord upon them. It seals the man/woman as the servant of the Lord God. It is the token, the redemption, the pledge of God to redeem his own. It is important here to tell you how to get that seal. Verily I would be remiss in my duties as a human being if I failed.

Acts 2: 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

The one and only prescription given in the Bible for us to receive the “Mark of God”, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Surely you are thinking infant baptism, sprinkling, baptism in titles, all equate. To man they may, but not to the Lord God. He gave us a specific command. If we yield ourselves to obey that command, then we will receive the Holy Spirit. If we yield to another voice, then we do not belong to the Lord.

Acts 19: 1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

In this verse we see Apollos, a man that the Bible called a “mighty preacher”, was not sealed. When the apostle and prophet Paul met him, he determined that Apollos was not properly baptized. Apollos had not come through the provided way. So Paul told Apollos of the only accepted baptism, of the direct command of the Lord, and Apollos obeyed and was then immediately sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Apollos believed. He was living a clean life. He was baptized, just not according to the prescribed method in the Bible. He was baptized by John the Baptist, yet even that did not count. He was preaching the gospel. He was turning souls to Christ. Yet he was not sealed and he did not yet have remission of sins. He had not entered into the blood covenant of Jesus Christ. He did not have the “Mark of God” upon his forehead. Apollos was a good and righteous man, a church going believer, and even a pastor of a church, yet the Lord could not render unto him the baptism of the Holy Spirit until he obeyed the command of God concerning it. Now if the Lord held a man like Apollos to that standard, he must also hold us to it or he is a hypocrite.

If you or I have not repented and been baptized in accordance with scriptures by full immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ, then we must do it in order to obtain the seal of the Lord God. If we reject it, then we are not yielding to the Lord, we are yielding to the other guy. The Lord has given us an example to follow. We will either yield ourselves to obey the Word of the Lord and be his servants, or we will reject the Word of God in favour of our dogmas, traditions and creeds and be servants of the devil. It’s a hard word, but true.

We have determined that the “Mark of God” is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that it is preceded by full repentance and water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. We have also seen that the devil cannot create and that everything he has is a perversion of something that the Lord God created. So now let us look at what the “mark of the beast” must be. It is a perversion of the “Mark of God”, it is on the forehead, or (perversion) on the hand. And it must be found in Genesis.

Genesis 4: 15And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

The first mark of the beast occurred in Eden. Cain received a mark and immediately went out from the presence of the Lord. He was sealed. There was no more mercy, no more grace for him at that point. The “mark of the beast” is the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the rejection of the Holy Spirit. The “mark of the beast” seals us out from mercy, from grace, from the blood of Jesus Christ. It seals our doom.

Let us look at this taking into account what we read in Romans. There used to be a celebration every 50 years called Jubilee. At Jubilee the trumpet was sounded and any slave who heard the sound could walk free. If, however, the slave decided that the preferred his master, he was taken to the gate of the city and his ear pierced with and awl and he was a slave forever. Now you see why Christians are so against ear piercing? It is a covenant of slavery.

Exodus 21: 5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

Now put that into the context of the New Testament.

2 Thesalonians 2: 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Those who reject the gospel, who reject the message of the hour, who reject the Holy Spirit, are sent a strong delusion that they would believe a lie. It has been the same in every age. When Ever rejected the message of Adam, she was sent a strong delusion and believed the lie of the Serpent. Every sin, sickness, suffering and death is a result of that. Moses had a message, those who rejected it perished. Jesus said they are dead. Noah had a message and those who rejected it perished. The Bible says they are in hell. When we reject the message for our day, the gospel, then we will perish. We will believe a lie and be damned for it. The devil, our master, will pierce our ear and we will never receive revelation on the Word of God, forever. We pass beyond the realms of grace. And for the most part we will not even know it.

Think you can come back from that?

Revelation 14: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever received the mark of his name.

Once we receive the “mark of the beast” it is unto our damnation. Damnation upon “whosoever” received it. You see once you receive it there is no going back because you will now believe the devil’s lies and thus never believe the truth of the gospel. You will be religions no doubt, but never holy. Think it impossible?

2 Timothy 3: 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

These folks are extremely religious having a “form of godliness”. They go to church every Sunday, sing in the choir, run outreach programs, preach, run charities etc etc. Outwardly to the world they seem holy. But to the Lord God they are abominable for they have rejected Jesus Christ and taken for doctrine the commandments of men. They rejected God’s word in favour of dogmas and creeds, psychology and tradition. They have education, doctors of divinity even, “ever learning and NEVER coming to the knowledge of the truth”. They will never be saved for they cannot be saved. They will never know Jesus Christ. They will never receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit for they have already receive the mark of the beast, and don’t even know it.

That is the worst part of it. Because the world, the religious world, the nominal church doesn’t even know what the mark of the beast is, hundreds of millions have already received it and do not even know it. They will never come to the knowledge of the truth for they rejected it long ago.

Don’t be looking for tattoos or computer chips. Look to what the Bible says about it. Receive the love of the truth, receive the revealed word of God, and yield yourself to obey it. Do this and the Lord will put his mark upon you. Reject it and the devil will claim you and you won’t even know it has happened. Verily the Sunday after the rapture the churches will all be full and the preachers will be pointing to a rapture that has already passed for when they were given the truth, they rejected it, and were sent a strong delusion. Their ears were pierced. They were marked.

Now let us take a moment and look at the other end of that first scripture. Here it is again for reference:

Revelation 13: 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Let us look at this in the light of another scripture about this man.

2 Thessalonians 2: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

The Number of His Name is 666

The name “Vicarius Filii Dei” means “Vicar of Christ” or “In Place of Christ”. The pope calls himself infallible. The name Vicarius Filii Dei is inscribed upon his golden crown. The Catholic Church believes that he cannot make a mistake. Only God is perfect. This is the man of sin, who sits in the temple of God, “vicarius filii dei” showing himself to be God. The number of his name, the Roman Numeral number of his Roman name is none other than 666 as this figure shows clearly.

Literally hundreds of millions of people have received the Mark of the Beast, and don’t even know it. This is sad, so very sad. Don’t be a statistic.

Jesus suffered, bled and died for our sin, for your sin, and rose again to sit on the right hand of power making intercession for the Saints. Fifty days later was the feast of Pentecost. It was our Jubilee. One hundred and twenty souls gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem were the first to be sealed by God. They immediately hit the streets. Then another 3,000 souls were added that same day. The jubilee trumpet sounded, the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is still sounding today. Hear the trumpet sound and receive your freedom. Receive the revealed word of God for the hour. Enter the blood covenant of Jesus Christ, wash away your sins, and live forever with him.

It is not enough to know about Jesus, we have to know Jesus. Christianity is not a religion, it is not an organization, it is a personal relationship between the Lord God and individuals, through the body and blood of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Christians know Jesus Christ personally, because Jesus Christ personally lives inside of them.